Monday, March 3, 2008

TWD: TBPS (Tuesday's With Dorie: To Be Posted Soon)

But first...a disaster of sorts (well, probably not really a disaster, just a mishap I guess)...

Why did I begin this challenge thinking that I was capable of tasks that Dorie obviously felt were too difficult to print in her cookbook. I mean her cookbook isn't your typical Betty Crocker type book to begin with. It does take some cooking knowledge and skill to turn out her recipes. I also think Dorie is awesome..I mean really awesome. Her recipes so far have been amazing. They turn out perfectly, and they are usually easy too cook.
But no...this time...I felt the need to challenge myself further. You see this week's challenge called for using dulce de leche, store bought dulce de leche for that matter. For some reason I immediately decided that I was better than dulce de leche; I was even better than the common method of making dulce de leche (boiling a can of sweetened condensed milk); I decided that I had to make the real deal dulce de leche. You see...I became a dulce de leche snob before I EVER TASTED IT!

My first excuse was that I couldn't find store bought dulce de leche in my tiny little town. Well that excuse went out the window when I went to Charleston on Sunday and HELD a jar of the stuff, but I put it back....the snobbery was growing. My next excuse was the fear of a can of sweetened condensed milk exploding, which was unfounded as well when I read that as long as the can stays covered in water there are really no worries. (There was also snobbery there too, I read somewhere that wasn't the real stuff). So truly I was out of excuses, but because I am a DDL snob it didn't really matter.

So I researched and found a recipe for DDL snobs! Basically you mix a heck of a lot of milk and sugar together with a little vanilla and sea salt and boil it for a few hours and it magically becomes DDL. So let's see, I start this beautiful mixture at around 6:30; I'm still reeling from my snobbery at this point and thinking how fabulous I am for challenging myself to the fullest. I'm even writing my post in my head about how great it was (and how awesome I am) to make my very own DDL sauce.

It is now 11:52 p.m. and this is what's left of my snobbery, my beautiful plans for my TWD post, and of course my dulce de leche...

What you see there is a pot soaking in my (probably a bit dirty) sink, with WHITE (note no caramelization) chunks of dried milk in it. So it goes without saying that Dorie should have no worries that the great Lori of Carolina Eats & Treats will soon take over her reign as queen of the baking world...at least the TWD baking world.

Oh well...tomorrow we go to a bit larger city than where I am now and I plan on actually purchasing a jar of DDL if I can actually hold another one in my hands! So stay tuned everybody because the crust is made, the peanuts are candied, and I will find the sauce to complete this challenge!

10 comments:

Marie Rayner said...

Awww...so sorry your Dulce De Lech didn't turn out. I made some myself last week with canned milk and sugar (tons of sugar it seemed) and cooked it for hours on the top of an AGA. It turned out beautifully, but that is the charm of an AGA. That batch went on top of a cake I was making for my boss. I caved and bought Dulce De Lech for my Dorie challenge. I just didn't have the time to devote to making more. Having tasted both however, I do have to say that there is not enough of a difference in taste or texture to warrant standing over a hot stove for several hours. Trust me.

April said...

I commend you for trying! I can't wait to see your finished snickery bar!

Karina said...

What a bummer! I'm sorry it didn't work out. If you start feeling snobby again, I posted the recipe I used to make it from scratch and it worked really well. Maybe you just got a dud of a recipe?

CB said...

bummer about the dulce! I used the condensed milk version and it took freaking forever! It was probably the user and not the recipe though ;) Look forward to seeing your snickery square when you get the dulce down.
-Clara
http://iheartfood4thought.wordpress.com

Tara said...

10 points for trying! i was totally too chicken to try making my own and marched myself right into Williams-Sonoma on Sunday and bought myself a jar. can't wait to see how the whole thing turns out!

Piggy said...

oh, sorry that your dulce de leche didn't turn out right. but i admire your courage of trying it out. I wanted to make my own dulce de leche as well, but I backed out after knowing that it takes hours to cook. :-P

looking forward to your final snickery bars!

Dianne's Dishes said...

Oh that stinks! Sorry it didn't turn out as you had planned.

amanda. said...

I'm sorry it didn't work out for you but I must say that your story made me giggle! You snob! ;)

Jhianna said...

That is fantastic! LOL

I went the route of boiling the cans of sweetened condensed milk, but I wimped out at an hour in and ended up with slightly brown sweetened condensed milk.

Sorry it didn't work out!

Shea F. said...

Wow! That is SO FUNNY! I see myself in that post...totally!