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Dulce de leche
Slow-cooked Argentine milk caramel made from fresh milk
Dulce de leche is Argentina's national sweet, spread on toast at breakfast, sandwiched in alfajores, rolled into panqueques and spooned onto flan. Argentine families traditionally make it by slowly cooking milk and sugar with a vanilla pod and a pinch of bicarbonate of soda, which helps it turn deep brown, until it becomes a thick, glossy caramel cream. It takes about three hours of gentle cooking and regular stirring. Chef's tip: use a wide, heavy pan and keep the heat low; the wider the surface, the faster the milk reduces, and the less it catches on the bottom.
- Total time
- 185 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put 8 ¼ cups whole milk, 14 oz sugar and 1 vanilla pod in a wide, heavy pan over a medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves and the milk comes to a simmer, 10 minutes.
10 minStep 2: Stir in ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda; the milk will foam up, so stir until it settles.
Step 3: Lower the heat so it simmers gently and cook, stirring every 10 minutes, until reduced by half and pale tan, about 1½ hours.
90 minStep 4: Keep cooking, now stirring every few minutes and scraping the bottom, until thick, glossy and caramel brown, and a drop on a cold plate holds its shape, 1–1½ hours more. The common mistake is walking away at this stage: it catches and burns quickly once thick.
75 minStep 5: Remove the vanilla pod and pour into clean jars. It thickens as it cools. Keeps for 1 month in the fridge.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 210 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 37 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does dulce de leche take?
- About 185 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 180 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 16 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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