Craving the sweetness of dulce de leche but don’t want to go to the trouble of making it yourself? A store-bought brand (La Serenísima is excellent) is the way to go—just be sure to get 100 percent pure milk-and-sugar dulce de leche and not a “sauce” made with any additional ingredients. This combination of warm topping, salty hazelnuts, and vanilla bean ice cream is divine.
Ingredients
For the salted hazelnuts:
- 2 ounces hazelnuts
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea)
For the dulce de leche topping:
- 1/4 cup heavy cream, or as needed
- 8 ounces dulce de leche
- 2 tablespoons mild extra virgin olive oil
For the parfaits:
- 1 quart best-quality vanilla bean ice cream
Directions
Step 1
Prepare the hazelnuts: Preheat the oven to 300°F. Place the hazelnuts in a small bowl and add the olive oil; toss to coat. Transfer the nuts to a parchment-lined rimmed sheet pan and roast for 20 minutes, shaking the pan halfway through. Take the nuts out of the oven, put them on a small plate, and sprinkle with the salt; set aside.
Step 2
Make the sauce: Bring the cream to a simmer over medium heat. Off the heat, slowly whisk in the dulce de leche and then the olive oil. Note: the heavy cream is to make the dulce de leche pourable and silken—adjust the amount based on the thickness of your brand of dulce de leche.
Step 3
To assemble the sundaes, place three small scoops of ice cream in each of four parfait glasses or small bowls. Top with equal amounts of sauce and hazelnuts.
Serves 4