sweetmilk

Happy birthday, dear wee dad!

The odd, yet enticing, photo above stands as a tantalizing preview of the chocolate dulce-de-leche bars you will receive in a scant two days. Take this as an early birthday card.

Yes, father, I have crafted my very own dulce de leche. You should have seen it… simmering and frothing in a sweet, milky puddle in my Calphalon pan which was a wedding present from your own wallet (though somehow I doubt you remember). It was a rich, fragrant, swirling whirlpool of goodness -- more delicate, more fragile, more dairy than its petty American counterpart.

Sigh.

I think it’s pretty obvious by now who should be getting the fattest inheritance.

Dulce de Leche

2 cups milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
A splash of vanilla

Scald milk in a heavy pan by stirring occasionally over low heat until steam breathes gently from its surface. Add the sugar, soda and vanilla, slowly, and stir till it dissolves. Cook over medium heat for an hour, stirring every 5 minutes or so. Be sure to remove it from heat the instant it thickens into a gorgeous, tawny syrup.

one step closer

Just look at that crust.

No, really. Take a good, long, lustful look at that crust. The glistening, caramel pool of maple custard lapping at its flaky borders. The seductive lack of a single slice of perfect, all-homemade pie.

At last, I have surpassed one more obstacle on the oft-treacherous road to becoming a Great Southern Cook. Not chef. No self-respecting Texas-bred woman would call herself a chef. That’s a word for Yankees and Europeans. But the Great Southern Cook… now that is an elusive title reserved almost exclusively for those with at least five grandchildren. I’m hoping to get there by the time I find my first gray hair. (Overachiever is my middle name.)

And this decadent disc of dessert, a.k.a. maple pie, brought me one step closer. The filling is rich, eggy, and tooth-cracking sweet, the result of a recipe from a tiny yellow book I picked up at a syrup stand during our honeymoon in Vermont. The crust hits much closer to home… my precious Nanny passed along the recipe after my most recent disastrous attempt at an all-homemade pie. Your eyebrows may greet your hairline when you read about mixing milk with Crisco, but the whole thing is just plain tasty and easy as… pie. (Forgive me.)


Maple Pie

2 eggs
2 yolks
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup real maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Lightly beat all the eggs in a medium bowl. Whisk in the brown sugar, cream, maple syrup and vanilla. Beat long enough to dissolve the sugar. Pour filling into a pre-baked crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes, until center is almost firm.


Never-Fail Pie Crust

Stir together 7 tablespoons shortening and 1 teaspoon milk. Boil a bit of water and measure 3 tablespoons, adding to mixture. Add 1 1/4 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and roll that baby out on a floured surface. Bake at 375 for about 10 minutes.