Dulce De Leche

don't think I ever really knew what dulce de leche was, nor how to make it, until I heard it being talked about at Lacroix a a few years ago. They were looking for new condiments to put on cheese plates, and had decided on dulce de leche. The head chef at the time said, "just put a few cans of sweetened condensed milk over low heat and cook them down all day" - hardly precise directions for one who had no idea what the stuff was, nonetheless, I was eager to make some. I never really got around to making any, but I tried some at Lacroix the next week and was amazed! This stuff was just soo good! It was much more than caramel- more complex, richer, what's more, it tasted great with bleu cheese. That night I set aside a little, no, big snack for myself of some of the bleu cheese that was used for a salad, and some dulce de leche; I just couldn't help it.
I was recently browsing Dave Lebovitz site and found his recipe for dulce de leche. It was so easy, that I just made it right there on the spot. Alternatively, I'm sure you could just cook down some sweetened condensed milk on the stovetop over low heat until it's the consistency you desire. I doubt you will have to "cook it down all day:" an hour or two should do the trick.Oh yea, it's great with Fage Yogurt, or just plain eating out of the jar. If you're slightly more civil, you could drizzle it on top of banana pancakes and serve it to your friends for breakfast. Yum!