Alfajores - Peruvian Sandwich Cookies

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Alfajores are shortbread sandwich cookies that are held together with a spoonful of dulce de leche, a thick, milk-based caramel sauce. They are much loved in Spain and South America, but nowhere are they more popular than in Peru where they can be found in lowland coastal cities as well as those in the heights of the Andes. No collection of Peruvian recipes would be complete without them. I never dreamed that I'd have a problem making these cookies. As it turned out, it took three attempts to make shortbread cutouts that would not crumble when the cookies were filled. Fortunately, I found a workable recipe for alfajores on A Taste of Peru. The recipe was developed by Penelope Alzamora and it included directions for making the dulce de leche that's used to sandwich the cookies together. I'm passing her instructions on for you those of you who want to make the cookies completely from scratch. I cheat a bit these days and use commercially prepared dulce de leche. Years ago, I slowly simmered cans of sweetened condensed to make it, but, do to fear of exploding cans, that method is no longer approved and I would feel uncomfortable recommending it to you. I think you will enjoy the alfajores. The shortbread is barely sweet and almost bland, but the dulce de leche perks everything up and adds the sweetness you've come to expect in a cookie. Here's how they are made.

Alfajores...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of A Taste of Peru

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup confectioner’ sugar, plus more for sifting
2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour, or more if needed
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup dulce de leche
Dulce de Leche
4 cups of milk
2 cups of sugar
1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
pinch of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:
1) To make dulce de leche:  In a heavy 4-quart saucepan mix together  milk, sugar, vanilla bean (if using), and baking soda and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce  heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking. As it begins to thicken, stir constantly and cook until caramel-colored and so  thick  that you can see  bottom of  pan as you stir; this will take about 1 hour. If using vanilla extract, add it at this point. Remove from heat and let cool. Cover and refrigerate.
2) To make alfajores:  In a large mixing bowl, cream  butter and confectioners sugar together until smooth. Beat in  egg yolks. Add  zest and vanilla extract and mix well. Sift  flour and baking powder, then mix into  butter mixture to make a dough that is soft but not runny. If it is too soft, add some more flour. If it is too stiff add water by spoonfuls until soft dough is formed. Turn into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a large cookie sheet. On a lightly floured work surface, roll  dough out to 1/8 inch thick and cut into 1-1/2-inch rounds. Place on  prepared cookie sheet and bake until set, about 10 minutes; the cookies should not color at all.  Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool. Spread one cookie with dulce de leche and press a second cookie on top.  Sift confectioners' sugar over top.  If desired, spread dulce de leche around  sides of  cookie and roll in  grated coconut, chopped chocolate or nuts. Repeat with remaining cookies and dulce de leche. Yield: 24 alfahores.

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Dulce de Leche Ice Cream

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I've made a slight change to the dessert menu for Super Bowl Sunday. Rather than serve sundaes, I've decided to make ice cream sandwiches using dulce de leche ice cream and chocolate wafer cookies. I think they'll make for easier clean-up and might actually be a better fit for our extremely casual menu. This is, hands down, one of the easiest and best ice creams I've ever made. It uses no sugar or eggs, and its sweetness comes from dulce de leche, a thick, caramel flavored sauce that is popular in Latin America. The canned sauce can be found in most large grocery stores, but it can also be made quite easily at home. Homemade versions of the sauce are the only available option for folks living in areas where dulce de leche is not available or is too expensive for them to purchase. The classic sauce is a mix of milk and sugar that is cooked and stirred for hours on end. The sauce that I use is much easier and can be made in one of two ways. Both begin with cans of sweetened condensed milk that are stripped of their paper labels. To make the stovetop version, you'll need to poke two small holes in the lid of a condensed milk can and place it, upright, in a heavy bottomed pot that's been filled with water that comes about a quarter of an inch below the top of the can. The milk is simmered in the can for 3 hours and during that time the water level is kept constant. The method I use is simpler still. I place the cans on their sides in a 5 quart crock-pot, cover them with hot water by at least an inch and cook them, covered, on HIGH power for eight hours. Whichever method you use, be careful when removing the cans from water. They are screeching hot and can cause severe burns. When the cans come to room temperature the sauce, which will be quite thick, is ready to use. It is dissolved in a mixture of milk and heavy cream and quick-chilled before being poured into an ice cream maker. I think you'll like this ice cream. It is delicious and nearly effortless to make. The recipe was originally developed by Mariana Crespo for Gourmet magazine. Here's how the ice cream is made.

Dulce de Leche Ice Cream...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Mariana Crespo

Ingredients:
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1-2/3 cups dulce de leche (store bought or homemade)
1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped pecans (2 1/2 to 3 oz), toasted

Directions:
1) Bring milk and cream just to a boil in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, then remove from heat and whisk in dulce de leche until dissolved. Whisk in vanilla and transfer to a metal bowl. Quick-chill by putting bowl in a larger bowl of ice and cold water and stirring occasionally until cold, 15 to 20 minutes.
2) Freeze mixture in ice cream maker until almost firm, then fold in pecans.
3) Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden, at least 1 hour. Yield: 1-1/2 quarts.

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