The dr deb office has closed for the year. The last pot has been fired and unloaded from Big Bertha (the refurbished electric kiln named after a tiny ferret). Brian is home for the holidays; Meg will join us on Christmas day, which, this year, is also the first day of Chanukah.

I’m sure you all remember our wonderful friend, Ashley, who collaborated with me on the Naan post. Ash is home from grad school for a few weeks and came over to do a bit of Christmas shopping at the DebsPots Studio “store.” She was delighted to help Brian and me make a batch of Bob’s new favorite ice cream. We needed to replenish our supply to pair with Salted Caramel Chocolate Crack Bark, a traditional McGrath family holiday food.

This ice cream is simple to make and sinfully good. If you like caramel, you will be unable to resist the flavor. It stays creamy and scoopable without churning and tastes terrific with bark, cookies, tarts, crisps, or pie. It is a perfect match for  Caramel Apple Cookie Tart. We like it with hot fudge sauce* (pictured here and here), or Cara Sel**.

*I tested this amazing recipe for Cook’s Illustrated; I can’t share it until it is published by ATK. But I promise to post it here as soon as it is public!

**Are you familiar with my friend, Kristin, The Ardent Homesteader? If not, please consider getting to know her. She is a wonderful instagrammer, and creator of Cara Sel, the most delicious, all natural, salted caramel sauce imagineable. Order some!

No Churn Dulce de Leche Ice Cream

3 ½ cups heavy cream
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 can dulce de leche
¼ cup 2:1 simple syrup (or karo syrup, or golden syrup)
2 tbs. bourbon
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch salt

Place the dulce de leche in a medium mixing bowl, and mix it with ¼ of the cream to loosen.

Place the remaining cream in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (you may use a hand mixer). Beat the cream on high speed until soft peaks form. Continue to beat on high speed while you add the condensed milk, syrup, bourbon, vanilla, and salt. Beat until stiff peaks happen.

Now, use a large rubber spatula to scrape the dulce mixture onto the top of the whipped cream mixture. Fold the dulce de leche into the whipped cream, carefully, to avoid deflating the cream. You want the dulce evenly distributed into the whipped cream in big ribbons of caramelly goodness. Don’t overmix.

Trying not to do a complete face plant into this heavenly cloud, scoop the whole mass into one or more containers and freeze for at least 8 hours before serving.

All of us here in the house in the woods wish you the happiest of holidays!