Dulce de Leche ~ Sous Vide or Instant Pot

Super simple and pure decadence!  Seriously, one ingredient and a minute's time worth of work!

The only difficult part in making this is the wait!!  Yes, it is ready quite a bit sooner using the Instant Pot...almost 14 hours sooner, but in honesty, while both come out equally as delicious, we have a preference for using the sous vide method.  Dulce de Leche is a treat for us and is rarely made, because honestly we could just eat it by the spoonful if given the opportunity.

This batch was made using the sous vide method, for two upcoming gatherings. This deliciousness will be used over crepes at one gathering, and over mini cheesecakes at the other.  Hope everyone adores this as much as we do!  Oh, and the extra is just gorgeous warmed & drizzled over ice cream or stirred into a Cuban espresso...as I said, pure decadence!

This batch was made in one large quart sized Mason jar, but previously we have used canning jars of various sizes, from 4 oz. mini jars to the quart sized used today. Use what you prefer as it doesn't affect the cook time in any way.

Dulce de Leche ~ Sous Vide or Instant Pot

3 - 14 oz. cans sweetened condensed milk

canning jars with lids and rings.

Pour the sweetened condensed milk into the jars filling between half-full to no higher than the fill line. Place lid and screw ring closed to fingertip tight.

Directions for sous vide:
Have water deep enough so that all the jars (which can be stacked) will be completely immersed. Heat water to 185F.  Once water is at temperature, add the jars.  Cover the water with plastic wrap or foil to slow down the evaporation.  Check the water level, adding more if necessary, to keep the jars covered.  Cook for 15-16 hours.  We like our Dulce de Leche a little darker, so we go 16.  We usually start this just after dinner and let it go over night. Once the time is over, carefully remove the jars from the water and open carefully.  Serve immediately or refrigerate for as long as it lasts or a few weeks.

Directions for Instant Pot:
Use rack or steamer basket as the jars should not touch the bottom or sides of the liner.  Place the jars in the steamer basket and add enough water to reach 1/2-inch below the sealing ring of the jars. Close and lock the lid and move steam release valve to sealing.  Using the manual setting, set for high pressure.   30 minutes (for thinner, lighter) or our preferred 45 min (thicker, darker and richer.)  Once the time is done, allow for a minimum or 30 minutes of natural pressure release (NPR) before moving the steam release valve to venting.  You can, as we often do, allow for complete NPR and come back a few hours later.  Carefully remove the jars from the pot and place them on a cooling rack.  Allow them to cool until they are just warm to the touch.  Serve immediately or refrigerate for as long as it lasts or a few weeks.

Enjoy!

New York Cheesecake Minis ~ Sous Vide

We just adore rich, creamy, dense, luxurious cheesecake.  The problem though, when there's a large cake in the house, everyone keeps trying to "even out" the slices or the cake, eating more and more with no stopping.  Come on, you know you do it too!!  So when we want a treat, the best solution for our waistlines is portion control and making these mini cheesecakes works beautifully.  Also, it allows us to customize the cheesecakes.  For example, in Maisie's cheesecake we use gluten-free Graham cracker crumbs. Eammon gets a regular Graham cracker crumb crust and personally, I prefer no crust at all, so mine is crumb-free.  Easy-peasy to customize when you're making minis!! The sous vide method produces cheesecake perfection... dense, smooth, rich, & creamy deliciousness.

New York Cheesecake Minis ~ Sous Vide

makes 10

10 - 4oz. canning cars with lids and rings

1 1/2 TBS. Ghee or butter

1/2 cup Graham cracker crumbs or gluten free Graham cracker crumbs

1 lb. cream cheese - the block, not whipped or light - room temperature

1/2 cup sour cream

1/3 cup sugar or sweetener of your choice

2 eggs

1 egg yolk

1 TBS. pure vanilla extract

1 tsp. vanilla bean paste

Pre-heat the sous vide to 176F. 

In a pan on medium heat, melt the ghee and add the Graham cracker crumbs.  Stirring regularly, toast the crumbs.  Remove from heat and divide equally between the jars.  Press down on the crumbs to even them out and create the crust.  

Add the cream cheese to the bowl of a mixer.  Using a paddle blade, blend until smooth. Scrape down the bowl as necessary. Add the sour cream, sugar, eggs, egg yolk, and all the vanilla.  Blend until perfectly smooth.  Divide the cream cheese mixture evenly between the jars.  Add the lid and tighten the ring finger-tip tight.  

Once the sous vide has come to temperature, add the jars, making sure that they stay upright.  A few air bubbles may come from the jars, but if the ring are fingertip tight, no worries.  Set the timer for 1.5 hours.  At the end of the time, remove the jars to a cooling rack.  Once you can handle the jars, place in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours.  The flavor improves after a 24 hour chill so if you can wait that long, we would advise you do.  

Serve cheesecakes right in the glass jars.

Enjoy!