Dulce de Leche

[iii_bake]

It should never be sour.  The uncooked sweetened condensed milk is extremely sweet to begin with and never sour at all.  Was the can damaged? Dented? The seam damaged?

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I know, the milk is definitely sweet.

The can was in a perfect shape. nothing punctured.

It was just a tint of the sourness, something you can feel at the tip of your tongue.

I will try simmering a few cans and taste them at defferent period of simmering.

In the meantime, if amyone has the answer for this, kindly enlighten me.

I will update you on my findings soon,

Thanks

[Aphra]

Um - disclaimer - I have not personally had a can explode, nor do I know of anyone who has. That doesn't mean it won't! But I do cover the can fully with water and make sure it stays that way.

I have had a can explode. I had a long phone call and forgot about topping up the water in the pot. There was an almighty bang and sticky, semi-caramelized, condensed milk went everywhere. And I do mean everywhere.

It took me hours to clean up the mess.

[Lior]

I still have to perfect this recipe. Iused the recipe from the recipe gullet. I still don't get a smooth perfect result. Does anyone have a step by step guide? When exactly do I know it is finished? Temperatures? I need a an Argentinian grandma in my kitchen!!!

[Sebastian]

The simplest way i make it is to boil a sealed can of sweetened condensed milk by placing it in boiling water (covering the can) and keep it in there for 3 hours. remove after 3 hours, and let sit (still closed) overnight - it'll continue to cook. i've experienced the graininess when i open the can prematurely and let excess water evaporate, causing the (saturated) sugars to crystallize.

Perhaps i've been lucky, but have never had a problem with it this way. Of course, it's a fresh dulce meant to be eaten relatively quickly, as it's high Aw doesn't lend itself to long term shelf stability...

Adding a little bit of something with phosporous during cooking can help you create deeper flavors/colors more quickly if the 3 hour boil step doesn't work for you.

[hongda]

I've used alton brown's recipe about 3 times and it has turned out well all three times. Make sure to watch it near the end, as it can burn real easily...

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-b...cipe/index.html

[BeeZee]

Of course, it's a fresh dulce meant to be eaten relatively quickly, as it's high Aw doesn't lend itself to long term shelf stability...

If put into a glass/pyrex container w/lid in fridge, how long does it last?

[Lior]

Thanks Sebastien! I know about the condensed milk way-although Ihtough 2 hours was the time required. Anyway, I have difficultyfinding condensed milk here. The supermarkets carry one that has added vegetable oils and it is YUCKY!! So anyway, 3 hours? Okay Iwill goto aspecialtystore to see if they carry condensed milk. I still want to get it right the authentic way.

Hongda thanks- I will check that link!

[Kerry Beal]

Thanks Sebastien! I know about the condensed milk way-although Ihtough 2 hours was the time required. Anyway, I have difficultyfinding condensed milk here.  The supermarkets carry one that has added vegetable oils and it is YUCKY!! So anyway, 3 hours? Okay Iwill goto aspecialtystore to see if they carry condensed milk. I still want to get it right the authentic way.

Hongda thanks- I will check that link!

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Ilana,

Any asian stores around? They usually have classic condensed milk.

[Lior]

Hi!! Well about an hour north of me- same as where the specialty stores are. I guess I will go and stock up one of these days, and get other things to make life easier- like bought invert, glucose and corn syrup...

Thanks for the idea though. Sorry for asking but Asian, meaning from China, Taiwan, Japan, etc right?

[Kerry Beal]

Hi!! Well about an hour north of me- same as where the specialty stores are. I guess I will go and stock up one of these days, and get other things to make life easier- like bought invert, glucose and corn syrup...

Thanks for the idea though. Sorry for asking but Asian, meaning from China, Taiwan, Japan, etc right?

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Yup, they use a lot of condensed milk as an ingredient and tend to have it readily available in their stores.

[andiesenji]

I'm not home right now so can't check my notes. If you are using my recipe, I would suspect the grainy texture is because of milk with not enough butterfat.

Try substituting 1 cup of cream for 1 cup of the milk.

I tried a couple of times to make it with lower fat milk and had significant development of sugar crystals around the edges and the end result was grainy.

Personally, I don't like the condensed milk version, although it is much easier than making it from scratch, I don't think the end result has as much flavor, however that is just me and I wouldn't bother making it myself because the commercial stuff is available in almost every local store because of the large Hispanic population here.

Edited August 29, 2008 by andiesenji (log)

[Gabriel Lewis]

How thick is your dulce to leche? I've used Andiesenji's cajeta recipe a number of times with 3.8% milk fat and had no problems with graininess. If its grainy, then what it probably means is that there isn't enough water left to fully dissolve the sugar so some of it is crystallizing out. If that's the case, then you can simply add some fresh milk and stir until it dissolves, then cook back down to your desired consistency.

[Lior]

How interesting! Here full cream milk is 3%. Si yes, I did use your recipe-thank you once again! I also used goat's milk as recommended, but that is under 4%- I don't remember how much. I used a bain marie but couldn't get a boil going. SO I then poured into a pot and continued. I do not know when to stop either- by color, by texture? aLSO, how or when do you strain to get rid of the vanilla seeds? They also add a crunch- which I like but others don't realize it is from vanilla. Oh, the thickness? Thicker than bought jars of it, not anywhere near as smooth and a bit darker in color. Can I still correct it??!! We did a blind tasting test in the family of 2 bought brands and mine. Mine came in 3rd all the time!

[andiesenji]

The vanilla bean should be left whole so that the seeds do not escape into the milk.

No need to strain it.

I taste it to know when it is finished. It should be a deep caramel color, tending toward brown - actually a sort of chestnut color is preferred by my neighbor, who taught me the recipe and process.

When I get back home tomorrow afternoon, I will consult with Celia to see if she has a fix for the grainy problem. (I'm in New Mexico.)

I've never had it turn out that way - I have burnt it and ended up with a burnt-sugar flavor but it was never grainy.

It is possible you introduced a little water into the batch near the end? That is the only think I can think of that would cause it to seize or become grainy.

(That is why you never want to cover the container in which it is cooked.)

[Gabriel Lewis]

Not to contest Andiesenji's recipe as she makes in a crockpot, I can offer what i've gleaned from my own experiences.

When I make it, I use a thick alumnium bottomed pan and place it on one of my small burners on just slightly above the very lowest heat. I have an old an electric stove that has two large burners, and two small burners, and is fairly strong. I leave it on just above the lowest heat, stirring every hour or two for about 6 hours, or until there is some definite browness and is starting to get thicker at which point I remove the vanilla bean. When it starts to get fairly thick (say not too long after it will coat the back of a spoon) I turn the heat down to its lowest and stir more frequently; say every half hour. For me to get good thickness (say the thickness of high fat greek yogurt) it takes me another 2-4 hours after I've removed the vanilla bean, and it gets very dark, about the shade of dark chocolate. I could probably get the right thickness before its that caramelized if i used higher heats eariler, but i've never tried it that way. Mine is very good, very deep and complex flavor that easily beats out any commercial kinds i've tried.

I can't imagine it'd be easy compare when yours was grainy. Did you try what I suggested? Reheating it slowly with a small amount (say 20% of total volume) of milk while mixing thoroughly, and then continuing to reduce until it is the right consistency?

[Lior]

No I haven't tried it yet but I will tomorrow. There isn't much to lose! And I will try it from scratch also. The vanilla bean goes in whole- not cut at all? I think part of the crunchiness was all the seeds (yeah I know... excuses excuses!). My next effort after perfecting DDL will be alphahoras! Any good recipes?!

Edited August 30, 2008 by Lior (log)

[Kerry Beal]

No I haven't tried it yet but I will tomorrow. There isn't much to lose! And I will try it from scratch also. The vanilla bean goes in whole- not cut at all? I think part of the crunchiness was all the seeds (yeah I know... excuses excuses!). My next effort after perfecting DDL will be alphahoras! Any good recipes?!

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I'll bite - what's alphahoras?

[Lior]

Alfajoras - I spelled it incorrectly! It is an Argentinam cookie- I think made with corn starch in addition to regular wheat flour. It is a sandwich cookie with DDL in the middle. Itis very light and fluffy and then the side are rolled in toasted coconut.

[Kerry Beal]

Alfajoras - I spelled it incorrectly! It is an Argentinam cookie- I think made with corn starch in addition to regular wheat flour. It is a sandwich cookie with DDL in the middle. Itis very light and fluffy and then the side are rolled in toasted coconut.

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Those look tasty!

[polpus]

As someone who lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina... I felt like I had to chime in.

I'm a HUGE Dulce De Leche fan... gimme a container of it and a spoon and you'll see it disappear in 10 minutes.

I have tried just about every brand they sell here, and believe me, none comes closer to the Conaprole brand dulce de leche from Uruguay.

Unfortunately they don't sell it here, so every time I go to Uruguay I bring back 4-5 jars of it.

I've seen it sold on eBay a few times, and also this online store seems to sell it:

http://www.amigofoods.com/codudele440g.html

If you ever have the chance to get some of it, by all means do... it's amazing.

As for the sandwich cookies, the correct name is Alfajores, and there's tons of varieties. Probably the most famous Argentinian brand of Alfajores is Havanna ( http://www.havanna.com.ar/ ). They are yummy.

Here in Buenos Aires you have about 20 different options of Alfajores when you go to the supermarket. If you wanna take a look at what's available, go here:

http://www.cotodigital.com.ar

Click on "Saltear Introduccion". Then click on "Ingresar Como Invitado". Then, on the left pane, open "Panaderia y Golosinas" > "Golosinas" > "Alfajores".

Another type of alfajores is "Alfajores De Maicena" (cornstarch alfajores). They are crumbly and delicious. If you want a good recipe for them, let me know and I'll post it here.

Cheers,

Federico

Edited September 2, 2008 by polpus (log)

[Sentiamo]

We can buy cans of already caramelised condensed milk here, Nestle produces them.

Hmmmm, Im surprised they obviously dont supply the USA.

They are a real convenience but most likely dont live up to the real thing.

[Lior]

Lucky you two!!! Yes!! Of course I want a recipe! The corn starch ones!! I have been busy with orders and have not had time to doctor up my DDL yet-ooof! I really want to ge tit correct! Thanks so much for all the links!

[lebowits]

The simplest way i make it is to boil a sealed can of sweetened condensed milk by placing it in boiling water (covering the can) and keep it in there for 3 hours.  remove after 3 hours, and let sit (still closed) overnight - it'll continue to cook.  i've experienced the graininess when i open the can prematurely and let excess water evaporate, causing the (saturated) sugars to crystallize.

Perhaps i've been lucky, but have never had a problem with it this way.  Of course, it's a fresh dulce meant to be eaten relatively quickly, as it's high Aw doesn't lend itself to long term shelf stability...

Adding a little bit of something with phosporous during cooking can help you create deeper flavors/colors more quickly if the 3 hour boil step doesn't work for you.

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Boiling the cans should always be a low risk operation. If canned correctly, the cans will be both very full and have had the excess air removed. At least I believe this to be so.

[BeeZee]

We can buy cans of already caramelised condensed milk here, Nestle produces them.

Hmmmm, Im surprised they obviously dont supply the USA.

They are a real convenience but most likely dont live up to the real thing. 

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Yes, I bought a can of Nestle this week (in an Asian supermarket, actually) and my initial impression was that the flavor seemed a bit "thin". Unfortunately, my husband discovered it in the fridge and it disappeared before I could do any further studies

Although I did enjoy dipping Snyder's Homestyle Dark pretzels in it...

[cakewalk]

I made dulce de leche for the first time last week. (Twice.) I didn't use canned condensed milk, I figured if I'm making the stuff I'll start with milk and sugar. There are many recipes on the web, mostly pretty similar, but the important part seems to be the timing. This varied widely from recipe to recipe. I left the first batch on the stove too long (the recipe said 2 1/2 to 3 hours), and when it cooled it became very hard. I guess this is caramel candy now. I'm not quite sure what to do with it.

So I simmered the second batch for about 45 minutes after it started to turn brown, about 1 1/2 hour total time. Tasted good, but too liquidy. I added it to a batch of brownies.

Have you made your own dulce de leche? What methods do you use? How long do you leave it on the stove? What is the consistency? I'm trying to get it to a spreading, jam-like consistency, so it will be spreadable even when it's cold from the fridge. Is that even a possibility? (There is a recipe on eGullet, but it requires equipment I don't have.)

In any case, I have to say that tasting this while it's still warm is so absolutely wonderful. Going off on a tangent -- if anyone has read Slaughterhouse Five, remember the part when Billy Pilgrim is in the POW camp and they're working in a candy factory? And he has a taste of the candy they're making, and just that taste makes him burst into tears? Well it didn't make me burst into tears, but tasting the warm dulce de leche brought this scene from the book right back to me, and it's at least 25 years since I read it. (Time to read it again, I guess.)

(ETA: Thanks for merging.)

Edited December 15, 2008 by cakewalk (log)