Home Made Caramel For Ice Cream

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Nigella's No-Churn Salted Caramel Bourbon Ice Cream is made with canned caramel or dulce de leche, which themselves are made from sweetened condensed milk. In some countries it is possible to buy the caramel in a can or alternatively use dulce de leche from a jar. If neither of these are available then you can make your own by cooking sweetened condensed milk in a double boiler.

Empty the contents of a 397g/14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk into a heatproof bowl and put the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. The base of the bowl should be touching the water. Cook the condensed milk for about 1½ to 2 hours, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes, until it has turned a medium caramel colour and has thickened slightly. The caramel will thicken more as it cools. The cooking time will vary according to the shape of the bowl and a shallower, wider bowl will make the caramel cook more quickly. Check the level of the water in the saucepan after about 45 minutes and top up as necessary. If there are any small lumps in the caramel then these can be stirred or whisked out while the caramel is still warm. The cooled caramel should be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days or can be frozen for up to 3 months. However frozen and defrosted caramel should not be re-frozen and so should not be used for the ice cream.