Dulce de Leche Crepes

Dulce de leche is practically THE reason I'm grateful to have taken Latin cuisine last quarter.

Make your crepes (recipe yields 8-10 6-inch crepes):

2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
3 tbsp. water
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 to 1 cup flour

Whisk together the eggs, milk, water and salt. Whisk in 3/4 cup the flour until fully combined. If it seems super-thin, add the remaining 1/4 cup. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and chill 30 minutes before using.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Check the consistency of your batter; you want it a bit thinner than heavy cream. Add a bit of water if necessary.

Pour about three tablespoons of batter into the skillet while simultaneously swirling the skillet to coat the bottom. Let cook for about 30 seconds; flip the crepe and cook another 15 seconds. Repeat with all remaining batter.




And now for the important part:

Dulce de Leche - South American Milk Caramel
(Heads up: You have to babysit this stuff to get good results. It's worth it, though.)

4 cups whole milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
Rum (optional)

Combine the mik, sugar, and baking soda in a pot. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently; reduce heat to low and allow to simmer very gently, stirring frequently, about 1-2 hours. The milk will reduce, darken, and thicken to a spreadable consistency. Watch your heat; as the milk thickens, you'll have to start reducing the heat to prevent scorching (probably in the last 20 minutes of cooking). Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, and stir in rum to taste, if desired.



Slather about 2 tbsp. of caramel on half of a crepe, and sprinkle with pistachios (or macadamias, or pecans, or whatever). Fold crepe in half. Spread a little caramel on the top quarter of the crepe, and fold in half again.