Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Squares


Crown and root canal procedure this past Saturday.

Could not eat anything solid cause you know—teeth out of commission.

Wanted something sweet that was not ice-cream. (Yes, I know. Don't judge me.)

Rummaged through cupboards and found can of sweetened condensed milk.

Always wanted to make Dulce de Leche from the “boil can in water but may explode” method.

Just survived dentist---could survive possible explosion.

Boiled unopened metal can of sweetened condensed milk for 4 hours.

No explosion.

After 4 hours of boiling an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk you end up with this.  :)
Only sweet milk caramel.

‘Twas exciting! 

And delicious.

Sunday—bored and hungry.

Wasted life away on couch reading food blogs.

Saw Dulce de Leche Cheesecake squares

Made them.

Easy.

Scrumptious.

Sinful.

Sinful Sunday.  :)



Recipe--From Smitten Kitchen

For crust
3 1/2 oz graham crackers, crumbled (1cup)
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For filling
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin (from a 1/4-oz envelope, will be just about half an envelope)
1/4 cup whole milk
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
3/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup dulce de leche (12 1/2 oz) (recipe follows)
For glaze
3 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), coarsely chopped
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons light corn syrup

Make crust: Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325°F. Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with 2 sheets of foil (crisscrossed), leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides.
Finely grind crackers with sugar and a pinch of salt in a food processor. With motor running, add butter, blending until combined. Press mixture evenly onto bottom of baking pan. Bake 10 minutes, then cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes.

Make filling: Sprinkle gelatin over milk in a small bowl and let stand 2 minutes to soften. Beat together cream cheese, eggs, salt, and gelatin mixture in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until well combined, about 2 minutes, then stir in dulce de leche gently but thoroughly. Pour filling over crust, smoothing top, then bake in a hot water bath (I was able to fit mine in a 9×13-inch baking pan) in oven until center is just set, about 45 minutes. Cool cheesecake completely in pan on rack, about 2 hours. Chill, covered, at least 6 hours.

Glaze cake within 2 hours of serving: Heat all glaze ingredients in a double boiler or a small metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth, then pour over cheesecake, tilting baking pan to coat top evenly. Chill, uncovered, 30 minutes.
Lift cheesecake from pan using foil overhang and cut into 1-inch squares with a thin knife, wiping off knife after each cut. (Don’t skip this step! A clean knife is essential for uber-neat squares.)
Note: Cheesecake (without glaze) can be chilled up to 3 days.

13 comments:

  1. I have always wanted to try that 'boiling a can of condensed milk' too! From the looks of your Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Squares, it will be sooner than later.

    Hope you're feeling better soon :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ouch. My teeth hurt for yours! The dulce de leche - heavenly!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh my word! I love anything caramel-related! I want some NOW!

    ReplyDelete
  4. These look heavenly! I am always looking for a new bar recipe.

    Thanks for visiting my blog! I look forward to learning more from you!

    Susan www.ugogrrl.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. So sorry about the dental work. I just had a root canal and a crown last month. It was not easy on my mouth or my wallet. I feel you are completely justified in eating as much dulche de leche as you wanted after that ordeal!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Jihane,
    This is oh soooooooo sinfully delicious and I dont mind. Found you while hopping. I have a blog too.. _Marelie www.cookiedropletsetcbymarelie.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. OH my!!! This looks SILLY delicious!!!!! Mmmm!

    Great blog; happy I found you!

    Mary xo
    Delightful Bitefuls

    ReplyDelete
  8. I HATE the dentist!! I had a crown put in two months ago. So.not.fun. I don't blame you at all for whipping these up. :)

    BTW, I'm from Miami too! Where in Miami did you live?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh my heavens! that looks awesome! I must come back for more peeps here. :))

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh this looks so delicious!! I love how your thought process went immediately to things that I'm sure your dentist doesn't want you eating haha I've been wanting to try out the homemade dulce de leche technique too!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I just saw Claire Robinson do that condensed milk trick on 5 Ingredient Fix the other day, how cool!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'm slightly obsessed w/ Dulce De Leche, for obvious reasons. These look incredible!

    ReplyDelete