Dulce de leche


Dulce de leche is a confection from Latin America prepared by slowly heating sweetened milk to create a substance that derives its flavor from the Maillard reaction, also changing color. Dulce de leche is Spanish for "candy of milk". Dulce de Leche is known as "manjar de leche" or just "manjar".

Preparation and uses

The most basic recipe calls for slowly simmering milk and sugar, stirring almost constantly. Once the mixture thickens and turns the color of caramel it is done. At this point, one must be careful not to burn it.
Another method calls for letting a gallon of milk stand in room temperature for an entire 24 hours. The gasses will spoil the milk and what is left is curd and whey. This is then boiled, causing the solids to flow to the top. The solids are removed and sugar is added. This mixture is stirred until it becomes hard, after which it is removed from the heat and left to cool. After it cools, it is broken up for consumption. Out of a gallon, this method yields about two cups.
Other ingredients such as vanilla may be added for flavor. Much of the water in the milk evaporates and the mix thickens; the resulting dulce de leche is usually about a sixth of the volume of the milk used. The transformation that occurs in preparation is caused by a combination of two common browning reactions called caramelization and the Maillard reaction.
A homemade form of dulce de leche sometimes is made by boiling an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk for two to three hours, particularly by those living in countries where it cannot be bought ready-made. This results in a product that is much sweeter than the slow-boiled kind. This method could be dangerous, and should not be done on a stove: if the pot is allowed to boil dry, the can will overheat and explode.
Dulce de leche can be eaten alone or used to flavor candies or other sweet foods, such as cakes, churros, cookies, waffles, crème caramel, and ice creams; it is also a popular spread on crepes and toast, while the French confiture de lait is commonly served with fromage blanc.