I met dulce de leche a few years ago in the form of a bar cookie. You know the type: short bread crust layered with a yummy filling (in this particular case it was dulce de leche) and topped with crumble or chocolate or nuts or some delicious combination of the three. It was good. Not fabulous, not mind-blowing, but still good. A while went by with no real thoughts of dulce de leche until one day as I was perusing the frozen food aisle a cute little pint of ice cream caught my eye. Häagen-Dazs Dulce de Leche. My sweet tooth quickly reminded me of how ddl had been the shining star of that not-so-fabulous bar cookie and after some not-so-painful arm twisting it was sitting pretty in my grocery cart. That's where our relationship began to change. I started to see ddl in a new light. A more flattering light. We became great friends. I wanted to see more and more of it. I intentionally sought out recipes that used it. I read about it online. If ddl had a facebook page I would've been it's most frequent visitor. And then I found this recipe, the recipe I'm sharing with you today. Dulce de Leche Arborio Rice Pudding. Oh man.
First of al
l, I can't think of a more appropriate time for something like rice pudding. This cold, icy weather that leaves you pent up all day is ideal for a dessert like this! Rice pudding is a process. You have to have a significant amount of free time on your hands if you want a really spectacular result. And who could ask for anything more soothing, more comforting, at the end of a really long, cold winter day than a bowl of this stuff? Not I. It's a winning combo, to be certain. And then, to take something as amazing as rice pudding and kick it up a notch (or a thousand) with dulce de leche? Well, in the words of my mother, it sends me. This recipe comes to us from the fabulous repertoire of Rebecca Rather (just like that adorable hazelnut-meringue tart from a while back) and as per usual, the Pastry Queen has delivered.I know this recipe looks daunting time-wise and, truth be told, it sorta is. But trust me on this one, will you? If you make this your family and your taste buds will love you as much, if not more, than I love dulce de leche itself. Now that's intense.
Don't think, just do:
Ingredients
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup Arborio rice
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups milk (anything you have in your fridge will work fine)
4 large egg yolks
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed down
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp amaretto liquor or 1 1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp salt
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1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup (reserved from above) dulce de leche
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Prepare a 5-6 cup casserole dish by coating with cooking spray
Procedure
1) First off, we're gonna make the dulce de leche. Now, you can buy this in little jars already made at most specialty grocery stores but I just can't bring myself to spend the money when it's so easy to make it yourself at home. And, as advised by Ms. Rather, when I make it I make several cans at a time and store them in the fridge for any ice cream topping needs that might arise. Begin by removing the paper wrapper from around the outside of the can of sweetened condensed milk and use a can opener to make two punctures on opposite sides on the top of the can (this is a super important step to follow due to the fact that milk expands when heated and your can could explode if it's not punctured properly). Set the can inside a medium sized sauce pan and fill with water about 2/3 of the way up. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and let go for about 1-2 hours making sure to check the water level every so often, refilling when needed. Your dulce de leche is done when the milk that pools on the top of the can turns a beautiful, deep, golden color.
Remove from water using tongs or pot holder and use a can opener to, well, open the can. With a spatula, spoon out a little less than a cup of the cooked milk (we'll use the rest of it in the whipped cream topping).
*I feel inclined to warn that if you, like me, are overcome with the temptation to eat a small spoonful of dulce de leche right then and there: BE CAREFUL, lest you end up with a severely burned tongue. It's hot. Real hot.
2) Combine the rice and water in a sauce pan, bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain the rice, return to sauce pan, and add in the milk. Cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes until the milk is all absorbed. Transfer to a bowl.
3) Preheat the oven to 325 F. Whisk together yolks and brown sugar in a seperate bowl, making sure all lumps get dissolved and distributed.
4) In sauce pan, combine cream, 1 cup of dulce de leche, salt, and vanilla extract and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and whisk about a third of the hot cream mixture into the yolks slowly, so as not to curdle your eggs. Stream in the rest of the cream mixture, whisking constantly. Now stir in the amaretto or almond extract. Add the cooked rice and stir to combine.
5) Pour rice mixture into prepared baking dish and bake for 45-50 minutes until the top is browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (although it might look a little wet on top). Let cool for 30 minutes.
6) Arrange the slivered almonds on a cookie sheet and let them hang out in the oven until they get all nice and toasty and aromatic (about 7-9 minutes).
7) Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip your heavy cream on high until soft to medium peaks form. Add in remaining dulce de leche and whip until fully incorporated.
8) Now here's the fun part. The book says to serve this dish warm or at room temp but I'm my father's daughter and when it comes to puddings we like them ice cold. If warm pudding is what lights your fire, feel free to plate this up while it's still hot and top with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkling of almonds. But if you're my kinda guy/gal, you'll chill the pudding for about half an hour in the fridge (or speed things up by throwing it in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes) and then spread the whipped cream all over the top of it. Yummmm. Oh and for heaven's sake don't forget the almonds. They give it just the right amount of crunch. Oooh yeah. Individual desserts definitely have their place in my heart, but there's something so homey about a big, family-style sort of dish. Like it should be sitting in the middle of a big dining room table with tons of people clamoring to get a taste. Just the kinda thing you crave on cold days, eh?
And yes, I did just write an entire blog dedicated to my love affair with dulce de leche. Pathetic? Maybe a little bit. But give me a break. When I find a real human to love I promise I'll write about that instead. Until then, it's just me and ddl and the simple fact is, it never disappoints. Stay warm and enjoy wearing your winter coats and scarves while it lasts. You know, until tomorrow. And here's my favorite winter song to keep you company:
Fountains of Wayne, "Valley Winter Song"
XOXO,
Mindy
