The luscious Latin American treat is now a spiced ice cream! Creamy dulce de leche is melted into milk and heavy cream, spiced to perfection, and churned to creamy goodness. Fall may be weeks away, yet this Spiced Dulce de Leche Ice Cream combines the best of both seasons!
I’ve considered taking tennis lessons. As a means of exercise. It’s apparent I need exercise judging by the increasing size of my fat Dominican ass. My hood is on the cusp of gentrification. We’re thisclose to a Whole Foods, a Starbucks, and an artisanal mayonnaise shop.
It hasn’t happened yet.
We’re close though.
About 11 million dollars was pumped into a brand spankin’ new tennis center in my Morrisania hood, complete with shuttle service from the nearest train station.
I’m within walking distance.
In fact, I’ve walked by the tennis center several times searching for Pokemon. I’ve considered walking in and signing up for tennis lessons.
Except… Except I have this insane fear of balls flying at top speed towards my face. All types of balls.
Basketballs.
Baseballs
Tennis balls.
Volleyballs.
Dodge balls.
I will duck on a Nerf ball, don’t play with me.
So picture me, this out of shape chick, swinging blindly and ducking madly at flying tennis balls. I suppose all that ducking and swinging blindly with a tennis rack must count for something, like squats. Come September you can find me swinging my racket or ducking at incoming balls flying at my face.
The courts have benches. Sit and watch.
So it’s August, summer will soon come to and end, and
1. We’ll enjoy weather that’s crisper than a d’anjou pear.
2. My hair will finally stop drooping.
It’s been humid.
As much as I love fall scarves and knee high boots, I have developed a newfound love for summer. Now I wonder – Why can’t we have green tipped trees, crisp mornings, warm afternoons, and 8PM sunsets year round?
Sigh… We can’t. Fall will be here before we know it.
Meanwhile, I intend to hold on to summer with the grip of an iron maiden. Whatever the hell that means.
I will attempt to fall-a-rise all the summer things, while still maintaining its core integrity.
Like ice cream.
Flow with me, let’s talk about this Spiced Dulce de Leche Ice Cream.
Dulce de leche is the caramel colored nectar of the gods. It is not caramel, per say. Dulce de Leche is sweetened milk which has been heated long enough to caramelize, an effect otherwise known as the Maillard Reaction, giving us mere mortals this exquisite caramel colored substance.
And I had a whole can of it. Instead of eating it I decided to make ice cream. A spiced ice cream. The warm flavors of fall frozen in caramelized sweet milk.
Allow that to sink in for a minute.
A bit of cloves.
A bit of ginger.
A healthy dose of cinnamon.
Thickened with cornstarch.
Churned ’till frozen and velvety smooth.
This Spiced Dulce de Leche Ice Cream is a bridge between two very perfect seasons.
Traverse often. Spoon in hand.
[purerecipe]
Spiced Dulce de Leche Ice Cream
Ingredients
For the cornstarch slurry
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons Whole milk
For the spiced dulce de leche ice cream
- 2 cups Whole milk
- 1 cup Heavy cream
- 1 14 ounce can Dulce de leche
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon Ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon Ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the cornstarch slurry:
- In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and milk. Mix briefly to combine and set aside.
Make the ice cream:
- Add water and ice to a very large bowl. Place an open 1-gallon ziploc bag inside the bowl of ice water. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, combine milk, heavy cream, dulce de leche, salt, spices, and vanilla extract. Whisk vigorously to combine the spices. Turn heat to medium and bring close to a boil, stirring mixture to help melt the dulce de leche. This will take anywhere from 7-10 minutes of constant stirring.
- Once the dulce de leche has melted, reduce the heat to low and add the cornstarch slurry. Whisk the mixture until thickened, about 3-5 minutes.
- Pour the mixture into the ziploc bag. Seal the bag and submerge the mixture into the bowl of ice water and allow it to come to room temperature, adding more ice as needed.
- Remove bag from ice water and place in the freezer for at least one hour.
- Remove bag from freezer, strain into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.
