Dulce de Leche

I'm sitting at home this morning winding away the last of my time off from the vacation that wasn't. There's something ridiculously nice about having the morning off after a busy weekend. I woke up without my alarm and stayed in bed for a bit, then spent some time reading, did a few chores around the house that never seem to get done, and still I have a little time left free before the trip to work. It's a wonder I don't do this more often, although somehow I think it will always take surprise events to separate me from my vacation time and force me to just slow down and relax at home.

This isn't much of a recipe, but I needed it to make something that will be posted shortly (and I didn't want to lose the method for future reference, although this is so simple maybe I'll even remember it!).

One year ago: Penne with Potatoes and Arugula ... mmm, carbs

Dulce de Leche (from David Lebovitz)

Ingredients
One can of sweetened condensed milk
sea salt

1. Preheat the oven to 425° F (220° C).
2. Pour one can of sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk) into a glass pie plate or shallow baking dish. Stir in a few flecks of sea salt.
3. Set the pie plate within a larger pan, such as a roasting pan, and add hot water until it reaches halfway up the side of the pie plate.
4. Cover the pie plate snugly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours. (Check a few times during baking and add more water to the roasting pan as necessary).
5. Once the Dulce de Leche is nicely browned and caramelized, remove from the oven and let cool. Once cool, whisk until smooth.
6. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Warm gently in a warm water bath or microwave oven before using.