‘07 Holiday Gifts: Creamy Caramel
Finally!
Today I get to tell you all about my homemade dulce de leche. I’ve been absolutely bursting at the seams with anticipation, chucking the last of the cranberry recipes at you. That’s not to say those weren’t worthwhile. Oh no no. It’s just that this recipe for the creamy dreamy caramely treat from South America can’t be kept under wraps for long.
So do you have a minute for me to tell you a little story about how I came to be on a quest for the perfect dulce de leche recipe? I really hope so because it’s worth telling.
It all started in April of this past year when I went to Argentina and Uruguay to celebrate my birthday. I read my copy of the Lonely Planet guidebook from cover to cover and then read Kiss and Tango: Dairy of a Dancehall Seductress just to get a sense of the culture I was about to soak up. In both the LP and Kiss and Tango, there were whole pages devoted to this sweet treat called dulce de leche, or “milk jam” in translation. I had some seriously high expectations for the stuff and looked for it the moment I got off the plane in Buenos Aires. Just at the airport convenience shop alone I found nearly fifty different types of prepackaged cookies and candies boasting a dulce de leche filling of some kind! I bought two or three and drooled in anticipation as I unwrapped the first one…
It was terrible! Well, okay, maybe not terrible since it was a candy bar. But it certainly wasn’t worth pages of prose or even a mention in a postcard home. And so it was everywhere I went as I journeyed alone through Argentina and Uruguay for a few days. Then my friend Fred flew in from the States to join me for a week and we hopped on a plane to Iguazu Falls. Same story there – nothing but prepackaged disappointment. Okay, maybe there was some of the most amazing scenery I’d ever seen, but the dulce de leche was still nothing to write home about. After a few days in the tropical heat, we came back to Buenos Aires and split up for the afternoon, he to La Recoleta Cemetery and me to the San Telmo neighborhood in search of dog walkers and street artists.
And then it happened. On a rundown little side street far away from any tourist traps, I found heaven. In the tiniest of mom-and-pop bakeries, rows and rows of alfajores (cookies), big and small, all bursting with dark, thick dulce de leche, promised to make amends for all the inferior prepackaged milk jam that had come before them. Of course no English was spoken, but I didn’t let it stop me as I pointed and cooed until I had what I wanted. That first bite…oh that first bite…it was worth an entire novel. The biscuit cookies sandwiching the dulce de leche were merely a vehicle for the sweet-but-not-sugary-creamy-like-the-best-fudge-you’ve-ever-had-deep-richness-of-caramel-with-a-hint-of-vanilla-goodness. Sigh….so good, in fact, that basic sentence structure fails me even now.
Unfortunately I didn’t stock up on enough and when we jetted off to Mendoza early the next morning, I was all out of alfajores and my beloved homemade dulce de leche. I didn’t even bother to try and find any during our time in Mendoza. I didn’t want to risk contaminating that one beautiful and pure moment. (I’m sure you’re rolling your eyes by now at my lavish descriptions, but I swear it really was that good.) But it was time for Fred to have his own dulce de leche epiphany. He’d been enamored with the massive steaks all along our route so sweets hadn’t been a priority. An early morning trip to see the Andes had Fred on the hunt for breakfast in the bustling Mendoza bus station, where he found a bakery selling freshly made rolls, cut in half and spread with a thick layer of dulce de leche, put back together and rolled in powdered sugar. The huge grin on his face after the first bite said it all.
My three weeks tromping around Argentina eventually came to an end, as did my small stash of alfajores I got from the Buenos Aires bakery just before my flight home. But my determination to find good dulce de leche here in the States was just getting started. As you can probably guess, the packaged stuff here just doesn’t cut it. Nor did the recipes that called for a can of condensed milk that yielded a caramel flavor but lacked the intense creaminess I knew was possible. As Christmas rolled around and I thought about what I should give Fred for a gift, I just knew I had to figure out the dulce de leche “problem”. Scouring the internet for websites from Argentina, I finally found what seemed to be an authentic recipe that called for whole milk and no shortcuts.
Just soak it and it cleans right up.
It worked beautifully. I couldn’t be happier. I almost cried when I took my first bite. Sigh…. There it was again, that same sweet-but-not-sugary-creamy-like-the-best-fudge-you’ve-ever-had-deep-richness-of-caramel-with-a-hint-of-vanilla-goodness. I made some homemade rolls, slathered them with it, and rolled them in powdered sugar for Fred.
He confirms it’s “unbelievable!”
This cutie is at my family farm.
So, what makes this recipe different, and thus more on target with what I had in Argentina, is the use of whole fresh milk – as fresh as you can find (I got my from my family farm) – and the baking soda. The chemical reaction created by the addition of the soda is dramatic. In fact, please be careful when you do it… it’s very similar to those science fair volcano projects we all had as kids. But I strongly believe it’s this “explosion” that changes the properties of the ducle de leche in a way that brings the creaminess to its maximum. Just be prepared for it and stir, stir, stir!!!
DULCE DE LECHE
Adapted from www.allfromargentina.blogspot.com
1 gallon whole milk, preferably raw and organic
3 c. sugar
1 c. Splenda or other sugar substitute (or use another cup of sugar if you want)
2 vanilla beans
2 t. baking soda
2 T. water
generous pinch of salt
In the biggest pot you have, combine the milk and sugar. Split the vanilla beans lengthwise and scrape out the beans with the back of the knife. Place beans and scraped out pods in the pot. Turn on the burner to medium heat and stir milk to dissolve the sugar. Turn up heat and bring to a rolling boil. While it comes to a boil, dissolve baking soda in the water. Set aside.
Remove boiling pot from the stove (it’s best to put pot near sink for potential spillage) and fish out the vanilla pods. Add the dissolved baking soda, stirring vigorously as milk will expand rapidly to fill the pot. When the mixture returns to its original volume, return the pot to the stove and bring to a very brisk simmer – it may concern you that it will scorch, but it should be practically boiling. Continue cooking for about an hour until it turns a deep golden brown. It is not necessary to stir it, just check in on it occasionally.
After the mixture has turned dark caramel in color, check it more frequently. The longer you continue cooking it after the color change, the thicker it will be. For a consistency similar to caramel, cook for another 10 minutes. For a thicker spread-like consistency, continue cooking for another 10 minutes. If you cook it even longer, it can turn into candy. Just remember that it will thicken up tremendously after cooling.
Once you’re ready, ladle dulce de leche into sterilized jars. Boil lids in a shallow pan and clean off rims of jars. Seal jars with lids and turn upside down to cool. Jars may seal this way so they can be stored at room temperature. However, if they do not seal, dulce de leche keeps for a very long time in the fridge. Use as a spread on toast or rolls, add to brownie recipes, sandwich between sugar cookies, or stir into coffee.
(makes 4-5 eight ounce jars)
Jen Loveland said,
December 19, 2007 @ 11:09 am
My jaw literally dropped when I saw the photographs for this recipe. It just looks so unbelievably delicious. I’m glad you managed to recreate the “real stuff”, I’ll just have to try it now! Foreign cuisine is so fantastic to try out.
Jennie said,
December 19, 2007 @ 11:11 am
Thanks, Jen! It *is* unbelievably delicious! And figuring out foreign food is always fun.
Y. said,
December 19, 2007 @ 11:25 am
I *love* your description of it. I’ve only ever had dulce de leche-flavored foods from the grocery store. It always tasted like normal caramel to me of little sophisication; I’ve always wondered what was so special that it deserved its own name. I’ve got to try this recipe sometime in the future (and learn how to jar/can at the same time). The people on your gift list are so lucky!
gintoino said,
December 19, 2007 @ 11:42 am
ok, I really should stop reading your blog! How am I supposed to stay on my weight loosing diet if every time I come to your blog I’m faced with some new (sweet) recipe I “just need to try”? I had dulce de leche in spain, and even if probably wasn’t the real stuff it was good enough for me to know I want to try and make it at home.
Oh….the thing about stop reading your blog…don’t think it should happen
Jennie said,
December 19, 2007 @ 11:52 am
Y. - Teehee…thanks! It’s definitely deserving of its own name. Just wait ’til you try it! When I say I’m eating it by the spoonfuls, I’m not kidding.
For this recipe though, you don’t really need to know how to can. I should have mentioned that… the dulce de leche keeps for a very long time in the fridge so you could just put it in a bowl that has a lid and leave it at that. I just wanted to put it in jars that would seal so it wouldn’t matter if they sat under the christmas tree for a few days. 
Jennie said,
December 19, 2007 @ 12:32 pm
Gintoino - Please don’t stop reading! I love having your comments.
I’m so glad you’re enjoying these “sweet” recipes. I promise there are many many healthy recipes in the archives to help with the weight loosing too. 
So what’s the special sweet treat in Portugal?
Panda said,
December 19, 2007 @ 12:48 pm
Yum! This is one I have to try; I love dulce de leche & I’ve been a candy-making fool the past couple weeks :).
Jennie said,
December 19, 2007 @ 1:00 pm
Panda - A candy-making fool??? I like the sound of that! Try the dulce de leche and let me know what you think.
kientifikoloko » ‘07 Holiday Gifts: Creamy Caramel said,
December 19, 2007 @ 1:11 pm
[...] Check it out! While looking through the blogosphere we stumbled on an interesting post today.Here’s a quick excerptNor did the recipes that called for a can of condensed milk that yielded a caramel flavor but lacked the intense creaminess I knew was possible. As Christmas rolled around and I thought about what I should give Fred for a gift, … [...]
gintoino said,
December 19, 2007 @ 1:34 pm
If your going to Lisbon you have to try the “pasteis de Belém” (they are a bit like custard little “tarts” (http://lve.scola.ac-paris.fr/portugais/site%20internet%20ac%20images/photos%20pays%20luso/Lisbonne/pasteis2.jpg - don’t know if this link will work…
Once you decide when and where in Portugal you are going I could try and make you a list of the “specialities”, Portugal has a very rich gastronomy
Jennie said,
December 19, 2007 @ 1:43 pm
Wonderful!!! I can’t wait to try them all!
Will definitely be in Lisbon so pasteis de Belem are on the list! They look amazing! (yep, the link worked.) 
taylor said,
December 19, 2007 @ 4:13 pm
Lord, I hope you and one of those jars make it out this January. Is there any thing I can pick up for you in S.C.? ; )
Jennie said,
December 19, 2007 @ 9:16 pm
Taylor - I do believe you’ve been quite “nice” already this year so you are definitely in line for one of these jars.
Enjoy S.C.!!
‘07 Holiday Gifts: Miracle Bread « Straight from the Farm said,
December 20, 2007 @ 12:14 pm
[...] necessarily planned on making anything else. But then I figured a package that contained this and this, two items that just begged to be spread on something right out of the bag, had better have a [...]
culinography said,
December 21, 2007 @ 12:06 am
This looks *beautiful*! I keep swearing that I’m done with my holiday sweet treats, but it looks as though I may have to add “just one more thing” to my list.
Jennie said,
December 21, 2007 @ 7:27 am
Culinography - Cool screen name, BTW.
I’m glad this tickled your fancy… beware though, it’s very addictive! I can definitely sympathize with the “just one more thing” syndrome. 
Happy holidays!
Homemade dulce de leche | Look What I Cooked said,
December 21, 2007 @ 12:05 pm
[...] (well, not literally). But I do believe that she has outdone herself this time with these jars of homemade dulce de leche. It actually appears to be pretty easy to make and if you’re looking for a last-minute [...]
links for 2007-12-22 » a big guy in a big city said,
December 22, 2007 @ 3:18 pm
[...] ‘07 Holiday Gifts: Creamy Caramel « Straight from the Farm (tags: dessert recipes food recipe milk caramel) [...]
A Book & A Dish « Straight from the Farm said,
December 26, 2007 @ 12:22 pm
[...] moments I could tell you about, but I’ll just share one in particular this time. Fred, of homemade dulce de leche fame, reciprocated my gift to him with the most wonderful of cookbooks. I swear the guy can read [...]
culinography said,
December 29, 2007 @ 7:36 pm
Jennie - I made this. It’s WONDERFUL!!!
~Michelle
culinography said,
December 29, 2007 @ 7:38 pm
Hmmm… screwed up my link, there.
http://culinography.wordpress.com/2007/12/29/some-things-are-too-good-not-to-share/
Jennie said,
December 29, 2007 @ 11:15 pm
I’m so glad to hear it, Michelle!!
I followed the link and it looks like you got it down perfect on your first try! Can’t wait to see the resulting cake. 
tsir said,
January 3, 2008 @ 6:09 pm
Looking at the photos of this recipe and reading about it almost makes me *cry*. It’s so beautiful! I HAVE to try making it. Maybe even this weekend. WOW.
Sweetness and Light | The Spice is Right said,
January 3, 2008 @ 6:29 pm
[...] point of weeping from the beauty and trying desperately not to drool on my keyboard, that would be this recipe for dulce de leche that Jennie recently posted over at Straight from the [...]
Jennie said,
January 4, 2008 @ 7:29 am
Tsir - Wow, who know I had such powers in the kitchen as to make you cry!
I can’t wait for you to try it!!!
kya said,
January 4, 2008 @ 7:07 pm
looks beautiful, but…my only question is why splenda/sugar substitute? doesn’t that kind of defeat the wonderful organic-ness of the rest of the recipe?
Jennie said,
January 4, 2008 @ 7:21 pm
Hi Kya - I used the Splenda as a way to cut down on the calories. My mission for any blog recipes isn’t to provide purely organic food, but rather to offer ideas for using the products of local farm. It’s the whole raw cow’s milk in this recipe that really counts in my book. Otherwise, I would have just made dulce de leche the way many others do - by boiling a can of sweetened condensed milk for a few hours.
itingy said,
January 5, 2008 @ 8:13 pm
Just tried this recipe. It took three long hours but came out beautifully.
I need a taller pot so I don’t lose precious milk when I put in the dissolved
baking soda.
Jennie said,
January 6, 2008 @ 9:10 am
Itingy- so glad you had beautiful results!! Yes, the milk definitely expands in an alarming way when you put in the soda. The bigger the pot, the better.
Jeri said,
January 28, 2008 @ 2:22 pm
Hi, I plan to make the Dulce De Leche but I have a question. If I decide to make the small batch first to check it out, do you think it would have the same yummy taste is instead of using the one cup of sugar I used a cup of splenda? I guess I’m trying to see if it can be done on a more low fat basis without comprimising the taste or texture.
I’m rained in today but as soon as I can get out I’ll get the milk and give it a go. Thanks for the info.
Jennie said,
January 28, 2008 @ 2:54 pm
Hi Jeri - Good question. First, while I understand your wish to make a smaller batch to check it out before making a big one, I’d encourage you to go ahead and make the big batch since it’s a fairly time consuming process that might as well be done in quantity, unless, of course, you don’t want too much of the stuff around to tempt you.
Just a suggestion. That being said, I personally wouldn’t use all Splenda (and no sugar) in the recipe as I think you need some sugar to create the thicker consistency. I’d suggest using half Splenda and half sugar. Hope that helps! Please feel free to come back and ask any other questions you might have. 
A Sweet Heart « Straight from the Farm said,
February 13, 2008 @ 11:02 am
[...] that homemade dulce de leche from back in December? It’s definitely been one of the most popular posts to date on this blog [...]
karen said,
March 7, 2008 @ 1:45 pm
I made the dulce de leche as a frosting to a quatro leches cake for valentine’s day. Everyone absolutely loved it. Of course, this recipe made more than enough for a cake; therefore, I am still eating it.
Now, I have a question. When doing the main cooking (pre-dark brown color), I noticed “gunk” on the sides of the pan. Being the anal person I am, I incorporated it into the liquid. Should I not do this in the future? Although completely enticing, the texture was not as creamy as I dreamed. help…
Sam said,
April 7, 2008 @ 9:02 am
Jennie, I am so glad I found your website, I am so excited about trying all your amazing recipes. Thanks again.
DreamChef said,
May 8, 2008 @ 4:43 pm
Hi, Your sauce looks great. I just one of those nut who use a thermometer. Could you please give us the optimum temperatures for sauce, candy etc… Can’t wait to make some. Also, what is the hight proportion of Splenda that you have use successfully. Thanks
DreamChef said,
May 8, 2008 @ 5:01 pm
Hey, What happened to your photo links? Can you restore them?