Dulce de leche is a South American food made from cooked milk and sugar, similar to caramel sauce. It is used as a spread or filling and is known by different names in other countries. It can be made at home using different methods, including simmering sweetened condensed milk, but this involves risks.
Dulce de leche, which literally translates from Spanish as “milky dessert,” is a food product similar in taste, texture, and texture to a thick caramel sauce, and is essentially made from cooked milk and sugar. It is ubiquitous in many South American and Central American countries and is made from a basic combination of milk and sugar, with alterations in the cooking processes and ingredients that give it different textures and slight variations in color and taste. This sauce is primarily used as a spread for toast or as a filling for pastries, although it is also eaten as a dessert on its own, as a filling for crepes and pie wraps, as a fondue or dip for fruit and pie pieces, and in a solid form like candy.
Argentina is probably one of the largest producers of dulce de leche, exporting several tons each year. Uruguay is another major exporter. The international market for this product has expanded in recent years, particularly in the United States, where the introduction of the hugely popular Haagen-Dazs ice cream flavor in 1998 is credited with introducing the flavor into the taste buds of the general public. Since then, the flavor of has found its way into cookies, milkshakes, chocolate candies, and ice cream toppings. Currently Russia, Israel, the United States and the European Union are among the major importers of Argentina and Uruguay.
In other countries, dulce de leche is known by different names and varies in color from pale ivory to deep brown. There is also some diversity of flavours. In Mexico, it’s called cajeta, and it’s made with a combination of goat’s milk and cow’s milk, sometimes flavored with a cinnamon stick while cooking. In Colombia and Venezuela, it is known as arequipe and is considered a “milk pudding”. Manjar from Chile and manjar blanco from Peru are lighter forms of this dessert, and the flavor, lacking the characteristic caramelization of the Argentine version, is somewhat more subtle. The Bolivian version of manjar blanco is more substantial, with the addition of ground rice or rice flour, as a thickening agent. The French like confetture de lait, or “milk marmalade”. Each of these can be flavored with the addition of cinnamon, rum, chocolate or vanilla, especially when used as a filling for cakes, pies or crepes.
While there are myriad brands available to buy in jars or tubs, the sauce isn’t complicated to make, though it does require a lot of patience. There are several methods, each of which requires simmering milk or milk with sugar and flavorings, if desired, for a significant amount of time. The recipes all involve stirring so the mixture doesn’t burn, until the desired level of caramelization has occurred. Three of the more popular methods include the stovetop, slow cooker, and canned condensed milk methods.
For the stovetop method, a cook would scald 1 quart (about 1 liter) of whole milk in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. It should then add 2 cups (400 g) of sugar, 1 teaspoon (4.6 g) of baking soda and 1 teaspoon (5 mL) of vanilla extract, if desired. The mixture is cooked over medium heat, stirring, until it caramelizes – this will take at least an hour. Can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator.
For home cooks, the much more popular, if somewhat dangerous, method involves placing an unopened 14-ounce (425 mL) can (or cans) of sweetened condensed milk into a saucepan and then filling the saucepan with enough water to cover the cans. The cans are then gently simmered for three hours, periodically adding water to the pot to ensure the cans remain under water the entire time. Cans should be allowed to cool completely before opening. Most sweetened condensed milk companies in particular tell customers not to make the sauce this way, due to the danger that the cans might explode.
Note: subjecting a sealed can to this type of procedure involves obvious risks; those who wish to use canned condensed milk but dislike the thought of a possible explosive cooking accident can use a can opener to poke two small holes in the top of each can, place the cans in an empty saucepan, then fill the pan with water within 0.6 cm (0.25 inch) of can tops. They should be simmered for six hours, adding water as needed to maintain the water level, and then cooled completely. The cans can then be opened and the top layer of milk sprinkled off, and the resulting dulce de leche should be very similar to that of the other methods.
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