dulce de leche and milk caramel
You can overthink dulce de leche.
Like any other sweet treats, it can be presented in many different ways, and there are differences in the quality of ingredients used, but I don't understand the perceived mystery behind this rather mundane caramel.
Of course, it is tastier than plain caramel since the amino acids in milk cause Maillard reactions and result in more complex flavors.
Insistence on having to cook a can of sweet condensed milk unopened, for instance. What the? For convenience? If it is excitement you are after, I suggest you get it somewhere else.
Let's say you are craving dulce de leche right now, and you happen to have a can of sweet condensed milk. You can make it in a few minutes.
1) Use a cast iron pan.
2) Mix about half a cup of water with half a can (7 oz) of condensed milk.
3) Stir as you cook this mixture, and control the heat so it doesn't bubble over.
4) When it turns brown, turn the heat off a little before it reaches your desired shade of color.
Water initially prevents the mixture from burning and gives the flavor a chance to develop. Caramelization generates extra heat, so it is important to turn the heat off before you think it's done. Milk is actually remarkably stable when heated to high temperatures, so you don't have to worry about much at all, except not to burn the whole thing.
When done, spoon it into a little pyrex cup or a ramekin. If it cools and hardens, you can microwave it for about 10 seconds to soften it.
grocerytrekker
Dec 27, 2006 03:28AM
I made some dulce de leche last week to use in a cake frosting. I used the method outlined in this year's Holiday issue of the LCBO magazine Food and Drink, which is to open the can, cover tightly with foil, and bake in a 400F oven in a water bath for 2 hours. It turned out just great - a little grainy around the top edges, but I scraped that away and the rest was awesome.
You're right, there's no need to add excitement to my life by worrying if a can will explode on my stovetop. This worked just fine and I'm still enjoying the results.
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Thanks for posting this! I want to make dulce de leche but not with an unopencan and hadn't heard about this method.
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I always make dulce de leche for my alfajores that I make at xmas. I always keep the can unopened and have never had any dangerous explosions. The main benefit to doing it this way is that I make two or more cans and can store it unopened in the pantry and not get any of the grainyness that can sometimes happen once the can is opened.
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The following link lists three methods for making dulce de leche -- stovetop, oven and microwave:
http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes...
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Here's an article on the topic from this past Sunday's NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/24/mag...
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Do not believe everything in the New York Times. Fit to print, yes, not always the best. (Half disclosure: a very close family member works for the Times. Sorry, family member.)
People like Jane E. Brody get the sugar chemistry, but occasionally there are articles which misstate facts. Take the one by Melanie Warner (July 2, 2006) - "The version of high-fructose corn syrup used in sodas and other sweetened drinks consists of 55 percent fructose and 45 percent glucose, very similar to white sugar, which is 50 percent fructose and 50 percent glucose."
Huh???
Apples and oranges, yet again. First part is roughly true, but white sugar chemical composition is almost entirely made up of sucrose, chemically different from its components. Sucrose 99+%, glucose & fructose combined 0.05%. It's akin to saying tapioca starch is glucose. Only when broken down, ONLY when.
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Sugar chemistry issues aside, I thought it was a great article, and I'm looking forward to making the "Nifty" frozen dessert if mentioned.
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Is there something in the article I posted a link to that you disagree with?
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That is the one I saw before posting the OP. I thought the unopened can, while it sounded fun, was rather unnecessary. Mind you - his father's dulce de leche DID explode.
I did enjoy the article, though. Thanks for bringing it up.
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You can also put the unopened can in a pressure cooker, on a rack, for 15 minutes at pressure.
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