The Recipe: Banana Dulce De Leche from MILK

Summer Recipes brought to you by MILK, Ice Cream Café and Bakeshop, and GOT MILK?

What happens when Chef Bret Thompson, owner and executive chef at MILK, Ice Cream Café and Bakeshop on Beverly partners with GOT MILK? Well, the world gets a little sweeter, that's what. Most chefs I know won't reveal their recipes to their own mothers, let alone customers. But Chef Thompson sees things differently. Taking his passion for milk to another level, Thompson has partnered with GOT MILK? to show foodies everywhere some of his best. Everyone can use a simple ingredient like milk to create out-of-this-world gourmet treats. Here is one of my absolute favorites.

BANANA DULCE DE LECHE
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

2 ¾ oz. sugar
3 egg yolks
1 cup milk
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pound banana pulp, ripe
½ teaspoon lime juice
½ cup almonds, slivered
2 tablespoons dulce de leche

DIRECTIONS:

In a pot, bring milk and cream to a simmer and add vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Temper eggs with hot cream and add back to pot. Cook until ice cream mix coats back of a spoon. Chill immediately.

Using a food processor, puree bananas with lime juice. Add banana puree to chilled ice cream base, whisk well and strain. Immediately freeze ice cream. Process ice cream base as instructed by your ice cream machine manufacturer.

When ice cream is frozen and ready to extract from the ice cream maker, fold in almonds and dulce de leche throughout. Do not over mix to ensure a marble result.

TO MAKE DULCE DE LECHE:

Place small can of condensed milk carefully in boiling water for four hours. Remove from water and let sit for at least one hour. Warning! If opened when hot, liquid will spew out.

Open immediately or refrigerate up to one month.

This recipe will delight just about anyone. Visit www.gotmilk.com to get your own recipe book, or stay tuned to LA2DAY where we will feature a few more MILK recipes in the future. If you can't stand the heat in the kitchen this summer, then get yourself over to MILK, Ice Cream Café and Bakeshop and cool off with some of Bret Thompson's outrageous creations...