I had a craving.
An intense craving for something impossibly sweet.
And it couldn’t be just anything sweet.
I’m talking IMPOSSIBLY sweet.
But preferably with a creamy texture and caramely taste. And it had to be something I could get my hands on pretty quickly because it was already 11:30 at night and I live in white-bread-Orange-County. It’s not likely I can run to the store at that hour jonesing for my flan-fix.
So I quick check my cupboards and found a can of condensed milk. (Oh great glory and splendor!! I’m saved!!)
1) I removed the label.
2) Placed the sealed can in my pressure cooker.
3) Covered the can with water.
3) Cooked it at high pressure for 45 minutes.
I let the pressure drop on it’s own for about 15 minutes and then voilà!
I had a moment as I opened the cooling can and these three little words popped into my mind (along with a swelling angelic chorus):
DULCE. DE. LECHE.!!!
My kids who didn’t think for one moment that this experiment would work (because as far as they are concerned Häagen Dazs has perfected Dulce de Leche and put it on the map, so to speak). But they were blown away. They hovered around as I worked the can opener. They were all ready to mock my ridiculous effort.
Then I saw the gleam in their eyes and the spoons in their hands . . .
"Sweet!" they said.
"No," I corrected. "Impossibly sweet." =D
I’m making these Classic Cuban Sandwiches at Babalú today.
But you’ve got to come back here if you’re craving some Dulce de Leche. 😉
So . . . now I have a can of cooked Dulce de Leche . . .
Any suggestions?
Is there any other way to eat this irresistable treat than with just a big spoon? Right from the can, of course! If I close my eyes, I can remember *exactly* the way it tastes…
Just a bag of galletas de sal will do the trick.You have no idea cuánta hambre me maté en Cuba con las latas de “leche quemada”o “fanguito” que mami me hacía para que me llevara para la beca…it just that in those years there were no galletas de sal, so Mom used to steal everyone’s daily ration of bread, make the tostadas, and hide it for me, so I could take a bag with me for the whole week in la beca…uff!!!
I have to be buy a pressure cooker to be able to make this for Robert. He will die to come from work and to find this waiting for him. And, ironically, he usually comes home around midnight so even your timing would work for him…haha. Wow-I can’t wait to make this for him…it will be right up there with your yummy eggnog. People have already started to ask me when I am going to make it again and if they will be getting some :o) I know I am part native american but I am cultivating a little cuban too… ;o) …thanks to you…So what night will we be hot tubbing at my house? Maybe this weekend? Tonight? Let me know what your schedule is like.
I became a dulce de leche (or manjar, as they call it there) addict in Chile. They eat it on toast there. I ate it straight out of the jar. I finally had to ask my roommate not to bring it into the house any more — not even to try to hide it, because I would find it. He cooperated for a while, but then brought a jar of it home one day and put it in the fridge. When I got home from work, I saw a note on the dining room table — “CF, I spit in the manjar.”Right. As if a little bit of spit would put me off. I just scraped the top layer off and ate the rest.
I have your squeeze tube! Promise to send it out by Saturday! (What you did with the can is wicked!)
CF-I am repeating that story to anyone who will listen. I TOTALLY get it. =D
Carrie-
I will wait for it then (with bated breath, of course), to write my “Ode to Leche Condensada.” 😉
You are a Cuban Goddess, to be sure! Where I’m from, we call this Cajeta. In any language and by any description it is simply sublime.!Ay, que rico!
The Japanese chick says-Make it in a crockpot. Put your two cans in there, cover with hot water, and put it on high for 4 hours. Let the cans cool down.
That’s it!
Betsy-I am going to try that IMMEDIATELY. Thanks for the tip!
Funny, I just made 4 cans of dulce de leche a few days ago and took photos of the process (I boiled them in my stockpot) and will be posting the whole hing in my blog. We ate one right away, but am saving some for other things – one idea is as a filling for spice cupcakes….another as a layer for a 4 leches cake…..lots of ideas to make with this.Dulce de Leche is like mother’s milk for Cuban children….we grew up with it!
I loooooove dulce de leche. My mom used to make it in the pressure cooker…. we both have “sweet” tooth syndrome. I like to eat it by the spoonful or with saltine crackers. Yummo!That’s funny…. Hagen Daazs came up with dulce de leche…. ha.
Funny too, my mom used to work for Hagen Daazs. We had our fill of their creamy ice cream.
I make it in the pressure cooker for halfhour, and is ready. Yes, let the can cool
down.
I sure hope you can help me! I am on a Dulce de Leche hunt. Do you know what credit as are? Or the bars of dulce de leche that you can purchase at the checkout of a Cuban market?Is it a brown sugar fudge? Or a penuche? I’m been looking for the right recipe and cant find one. Please help, CA Cubanita with bad sweet tooth.
OoopsCremitas not creditas dang spell check!
Hi, a am a chef since 11 years old, people love my cooking and it appears that your recipes are like mine yummmmy. I have a recipe for you . Dulce de leche en pelotas. 2 cans of leche evaporada, 4 large eggs, several squeezes of lemon juice, pinch of salt, 1 tsp vanilla , sugar (to taste) perhaps 1 and 1/2(I don’t recall). Beat eggs together add sugar, milk then vanilla, salt and lemon, after adding the lemon stir biefly, this will make the large lumps. Cook at low heat, minimal stirring only enought to have it seperate from the bottom of the pan, to prevent burning and when the lumps are well formed and the color changes to light brown, remove from stove and let cool. PS one trick is while cooking down taste the syrup to ensure proper sweetness.You may add a stick of cinnamon and the rind of the lemon while cooking giving it more flavor. Try it , if you like it post it , if not change it and then post it. 🙂 . May the Good Lord Bless you.