Leche Quemada

[Jay Francis]

There is a manufacturer of Leche Quemada in Kingsville, Texas that makes a very creamy, melt in your mouth, version of this traditional Mexican candy. They only list milk and sugar as their (main) ingredients. Also lecithin and artificial vanilla.

I have tried several ratios of milk to sugar without success in duplicating it.

I have toyed with the thought that they might be using oil, cream, nonfat dry milk or some other component and not listing it on the ingredients list. I can't imagine the magic difference is the lecithin, but maybe it is.

I would really like to figure out how to duplicate this candy as a friend of mine who owns an Indian restaurant (there are several Indian sweets that are similar but not quite the same....) and I have been brainstorming about this candy for a while now.

Are there any candymakers or pastry people out there who would like to help me out on this project? I could mail you a couple of servings of their candy.

Best regards,

Jay

[Tweety69bird]

FWIW, I doubt that they would be allowed to have ingredients in the candy that aren't listed on the label, so I would think that it's only the ingredients that you listed. Have you tried to search for a recipe on the net?

[Tweety69bird]

I did a quick search and found this one that has only milk, sugar and vanilla in it. There was another one that I saw that had many more ingredients, but this one seems to fit your description.

Leche Quemada

[tan319]

I wouldn't be surprised if the lecithin was adding or enhancing the creminess.

it's an emulsifier, I believe, that binds fat & water together

[Desiderio]

That recepie really looks like the one I have for the dulce de leche ( its the same with different names?).

In my recepie they use in addition baking soda, and the final result is a creamy caramel like sauce very thick that can be used to flavor things etc.

http://www.recipelink.com/mf/0/42178

http://mexico.udg.mx/cocina/postres/LecheQuemada.html

http://www.nutricionyrecetas.com/recetas/postres/7232.htm

http://recipes.egullet.org/recipes/r790.ht...cae97dad5754f4e

Edited May 12, 2006 by Desiderio (log)

[PatyGirl]

It's essentially a dark dulce de leche, right? you could try searching for recipes on that, but the ingredients are the same.

I think just the amount of time time you heat/boil and the temperature you heat at, as well as the way you're stirring may be the key.

[Jay Francis]

Could be the lecithin, then. Hmmm. Still, if anyone out there would like me to mail them a couple of candy samples to experiment with, let me know.

[Desiderio]

I did try to make one of the recepie on the link ( the one form e-gullet actually )

I couldnt resist and when I poured in the pan I add some chocolate and swirl it into the leche.The result I think its pretty close to a fudge , very sweet thought , not bad at all , but I have no idea how the original are.

[Jaymes]

That recepie really looks like the one I have for the dulce de leche ( its the same with different names?).

In my experience, although similar, dulce de leche is not the same thing. Dulce de leche is a pourable caramel.

The popular leche quemada is a creamy candy. It's actually very similar to the kind of pralines that you get in the US south.

Google recipes for Mexican "milk candy" and see what you get. And look at recipes for pralines, as well.

That should give you a good sampling of things to try.

[Jaymes]

Don't know if you ever made Leche Quemada to your satisfaction, but I was looking through my old recipes and found this one, from a friend that was raised in Falfurrias, down in the valley, close to Kingsville. I'm sure it's the same thing as what would have been served in that restaurant.

Leche Quemada (Mexican milk candy)

1 3/4 C sugar

4 C whole milk

2 t vanilla

Whole pecan halves, if desired

Combine sugar and milk in heavy large saucepan. Bring to a boil, and then turn down the heat until candy is rolling at a very low boil. Stir frequently (actually, 'constantly' is better, if you can manage it) until the candy is thick enough that when you stir it, you can see the bottom of the pan. This will take a while, at least one hour. Be very careful not to burn it, but you need it to be well-thickened. Take off of heat and stir in vanilla. Pour candy into buttered 4 x 8 loaf pan. You're going to cut the cooled candy into pieces, so if you want a pecan half on top of each one, you have to estimate where you're going to be cutting, and press the pecan halves into each piece while the candy is still hot.

When the candy cools completely, cut into squares or oblongs.

PS -- Some restaurants in south Texas add shredded coconut to this, and omit the pecans.

Edited June 26, 2006 by Jaymes (log)

[Kerry Beal]

There is a manufacturer of Leche Quemada in Kingsville, Texas that makes a very creamy, melt in your mouth, version of this traditional Mexican candy.  They only list milk and sugar as their (main) ingredients.  Also lecithin and artificial vanilla.

I have tried several ratios of milk to sugar without success in duplicating it.

I have toyed with the thought that they might be using oil, cream, nonfat dry milk or some other component and not listing it on the ingredients list.  I can't imagine the magic difference is the lecithin, but maybe it is.

I would really like to figure out how to duplicate this candy as a friend of mine who owns an Indian restaurant (there are several Indian sweets that are similar but not quite the same....) and I have been brainstorming about this candy for a while now.

Are there any candymakers or pastry people out there who would like to help me out on this project? I could mail you a couple of servings of their candy.

Best regards,

Jay

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Jay,

I tried out a batch tonight using the recipe posted with 4 cups milk and 1 3/4 cup sugar. I did a double batch, used 1/4 tsp dry lecithan initally, then added another 1/4 tsp at the end. I noticed it gets fairly lumpy, so after the second dose of lecithan I beat it with a hand mixer until much smoother. I added some vanilla and poured it out. I'll see how it looks in the morning.

[Kerry Beal]

So this morning I realized that I hadn't boiled it long enough. It was still flowing a bit, so I boiled it further for about another hour and a half. It is somewhat granular, not silky smooth. I did add a bit of glucose hoping that would inhibit crystallization a bit and make it smoother.

I have come to the conclusion that you need to continually stir while cooking if you want a perfectly smooth product. Everytime I ignored it, some protien from the milk would form on top of the candy and when you stirred it back in you got grain forming. If you were to boil it in one of those electric sauce pots that stirs continually while cooking it might work. Salton used to make one, you see them at garage sales and thrift stores occasionally. I don't think I could handle 4 hours of constant stirring.

[Lindacakes]

I actually thought this subject was a witty twist on Torquemada -- that the original poster had somehow been tormented by milk cake . . .

I need to step away from the computer now.

[Jay Francis]

Kerry, I'm so embarassed to admit that I just got back to this old post of mine. Thanks very much for the information. I plan on coming back to Leche Quemada soon.

I have been working on the magnificent marshmallow recipes in the homemade marshmallows thread and also working on some messy pastries, such as the Ebinger Cake, which is layers of dark chocolate cake, chocolate pudding and crumbled bits of the cake as a coating.

I did the stawberry puree base marshmallows, and for a friend who loves everything rhinoceros, I used my rhinoceros cookie cutter to make rhino marshmallows.

Edited November 11, 2006 by Jay Francis (log)

[Kerry Beal]

Kerry, I'm so embarassed to admit that I just got back to this old post of mine.  Thanks very much for the information. I plan on coming back to Leche Quemada soon.

I have been working on the magnificent marshmallow recipes in the homemade marshmallows thread and also working on some messy pastries, such as the Ebinger Cake, which is layers of dark chocolate cake, chocolate pudding and crumbled bits of the cake as a coating.

I did the stawberry puree base marshmallows, and for a friend who loves everything rhinoceros, I used my rhinoceros cookie cutter to make rhino marshmallows.

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What would be an appropriate flavour for a rhinoceros marshmallow?