A Twist On Dulce De Leche

Dulce de leche is one of those desserts that can be a bit sweet. It is a decadent dessert  however it can be a bit too intense. Luckily anything that super sweet can be tempered with a bit of sea  salt.It gives any sugary treat a  much needed blast of savory.

Melissa Clark explorted this in her column, AGood Appetite in yesterday's taco issue of the New York Times Dining section.. Since the entire section was dedicated to tacos and other Mexican dishes, it stands to reason that Ms. Clark would add an appropriate dessert that would offset and cool the palate after a fiery meal. Dulce de leche is a usually sweet caramel pudding usually made with condensed milk. She varies this by subbing in the less intense condensed milk with a blend of coconut milk and brown sugar (the last is added to give the pudding its' traditional golden glow).it';s pretty easy to make , usually simmer in a saucepan for hours until cooked. The original method calls for boiling a can of evaporated milk until it almost explodes, however as Ms. Clark dryly notes, this should be avoided at all costs.

The pudding can be super sweet. Even the non dairy version can be a bit cloying.It does need to be offset by something salty. Ms,. Clark  adds a topping of flaky sea salt which will accentuate the flavor while provide some respite . She also tops it with broiled and caramelized pineapple and coconut shavings. These are a perfect foil but you could also use grapes or even citrus such as caramelized oranges , lemons or limes.I would prefer the last because the flavors would also add to the pudding's flavor You could also do a swirl of bitter chocolate on top too to decrease the dulce de leche's sugariness.Another idea is adding a dusting of ground nuts as well on top along with the sea salt flakes.

Dulce de leche, no matter how it's made is a tasty end to any meal./ However it can be intense and needs a jolt of something to overcome that. Try it with sea salt caramel, or even bitter chocolate to give it a bit more bounce.It goes from wonderful to sublime, thanks to this.