Dulce de Leche

Dulce de Leche is a traditional South American candy (it is Spanish for ‘milk candy’) that is very similar to caramel with an additional taste of cooked milk.  Technically, it is a type of caramel.  Like caramel, it can also be prepared as a sauce—for ice cream, cakes, cookies, or just about anything that needs a sweet topping—simply by cooking it a little less.  In solid form, it is most often eaten as a tasty candy.

The “classic” recipe for dulce de leche is to boil a can of sweetened condensed milk for hours until the contents form a dark brown, thick fluid.  But according to my Argentinian friend,  the “traditional” way of making dulce de leche is by cooking milk and sugar in a big pot, stirring constantly until it turns light brown. 

I have made both ways, classic (using a microwave to save time) and traditional.  The condensed milk version has a pleasant and consistent unctuousness, but it is quite sweet.   Because of that, I prefer the traditional version which has just two main ingredients: sugar and milk (some versions add baking soda and vanilla bean) with a wide variability as to the ratio, and only one instruction: simmer until done.   A good place to start is roughly a 4:1 ratio, milk to sugar by weight.  You’ll need to watch the pot once the mixture starts going brown, and in my experience, once I can see the bottom of the pot while stirring, it’s done, thick enough.  

I know that the traditional way takes a long time to make (2-4+ hours, depends on how many quart of milk you use).  However, if you’re cooking the milk slowly enough, you don’t have to watch over it carefully, especially the later stages.  But you have to watch over it initially since the milk will foam up.  Make sure you use a  large enough pot.  I was worried it wouldn’t thicken, then all of the sudden it changed into a beautiful gold color and began to thicken to a perfect consistency.  Very time consuming, but this is absolutely delicious. 

In my humble opinion, the traditional way is better than the classic one. The flavor of ‘from scratch’ dulce de leche (I used Alton Brown’s recipe) is so much richer and complex.  I found that cooking it low and slow on the stove (barely simmer) for  about 2.5 hours yielded a ‘spoonable’ consistency and a yield of almost 2 cups.

If you don’t have time and patience, you can make it using the ‘classic’ way by boiling a can of sweetened condensed milk.  Here, I’ll give you the recipe to make dulce de leche from scratch and using condensed milk.  It’s up to you to choose which one is more suitable for you. 

For recipe in Indonesian click HERE

From scratch

Ingredients:

·         1 quart (1 liter) whole milk

·         12 ounces sugar, approximately 1 ½ cups

·         1 vanilla bean, split and seed scraped

·         ½ tsp baking soda

Directions:

1.       Combine the milk, sugar, vanilla bean and seeds in a large saucepan and place over medium heat.  Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved.

2.       Once the sugar has dissolved, add the baking soda and stir it to combine.  Reduce the heat to low and cook uncovered at a bare simmer.  Stir occasionally, but do not re-incorporate the foam that appears on the top of the mixture.

3.       Continue to cook for 1 hour.

4.       Remove the vanilla bean after 1 hour and  continue to cook until the mixture is a dark caramel color and has reduced to about 1 cup, approximately 1 ½ to 2 hours (mine was done in 2.5 hours).

5.       Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer.  Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to a month.

Using Condensed Milk

Ingredients:

·         1 can of sweetened condensed milk

·         ¼ tsp of salt

Method 1:  In the Microwave (the quickest way) ~ I used this method

1.       Empty the sweetened condensed milk into a large microwave safe bowl.

2.       Microwave on medium power or two minutes.

3.       Remove from microwave and stir with a wire whisk.  Be careful, the mixture and the bowl will get very hot and remaining that way throughout the process.

4.       Microwave on medium power for another two minutes. Remove and stir again.

5.       Repeat the method, microwave on medium –low power for 16-24 minutes until milk turns thick and caramel color, stirring every 1-2 minutes.

Method 2: In the Oven

1.       Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 C)

2.       Pour the condensed milk into a glass of pie plate or shallow baking dish, sprinkle with salt.

3.       Set the dish within a larger pan, such as a roasting pan, and add hot water until it reaches halfway up the side of the pie plate.

4.       Cover the pie plate tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 – 1 ¼ hours.  Check during baking and add more water if needed.

5.       Remove dulce de leche from the pan and let cool.

Method 3: In the Can

1.       Remove the label from the can of condensed milk.

2.       Pierce two holes in the can with a can opener.  Put the holes on opposite sides. Do not skip this step. Without these holes, the can may bulge and there is the danger of it exploding.

3.       Place the can in a small pot and fill it with enough water to come up to one inch (2.5 cm) from the top of the can.  You will need to add more water during the cooking process to make sure the water doesn’t go below the level as it evaporates.  To prevent the can from rattling in the water, put a rag under the can.

4.       Place the pot on your stove and turn it onto medium-high heat.  Watch the water closely until you see the water come to a simmer.  Lower the heat to hold the water at a simmer.  Some of condensed milk might escape through the holes. If this happens, scoop it off with the spoon.  Try not to let it spill over into the water.

5.       Wait.  Howl long you wait depends on the type of dulce de leche you want.

·         A soft Dulce de Leche takes about 3 hours.

·         A firm Dulce de Leche will take up to four hours.

6.       Remove the can with thongs and place on a rack to cool.

7.       Open the can carefully with a can opener and pour into a bowl.  The top will be more fluid, and there will be thicker, darker chunks at the bottom which will need to be scraped out.  Whisk together to make it homogenous.

Method 4: In a Pressure Cooker

1.       Put a liter of water in the pressure cooker with a can of sweetened condensed milk.  Don’t punch any holes in the can, but remove the label.

2.       Bring the cooker to boil and wait for between 40 to 50 minutes after it begins it steam.  Shorter time = lighter/softer doce.  Longer time = darker/firmer doce.

3.       Turn off the heat and wait until it cools down completely.

Bahasa Indonesia

Cara Tradisional

Bahan:

·         1 liter susu cair

·         12 ons gula, kurang lebih 1 ½ cups

·         1 batang vanilla, belah dan kerok bijinya

·         ½ sdt baking soda

Cara:

1.       Tuang susu dan campur dengan gula, vanilla ke dalam panci besar.  Didihkan sambil diaduk sesekali sampai gula larut.

2.       Begitu gula larut, tambahkan baking soda, aduk sampai bercampur.  Kecilkan api sambil terus diaduk (jaga larutan tetap dalam keadaan sedikit mendidih), tetapi jangan mengaduk atau mencampur busa yang muncul di permukaan  dengan larutan susu.

3.       Teruskan memasak selama 1 jam.

4.       Angkat dan buang batang vanilla setelah  1 jam.  Teruskan merebus sampai larutan berwana coklat karamel  dan berkurang menjadi sekitar 1-1,5 cup, kurang lebih selama 1 ½ sampai 2 jam (Saya memerlukan waktu selama 2,5 jam).

5.       Saring, tuang ke dalam wadah kaca tertutup dan simpan di dalam lemari pendingin.  Baik digunakan dalam jangka waktu 1 bulan.

Cara Klasik (menggunakan susu kental manis)

Bahan:

·         1 kaleng susu kental manis (SKM)

·         ¼ sdt garam

Cara 1:  Menggunakan Microwave (paling cepat) ~ Metode ini yang saya pakai

1.       Tuang 1 kaleng SKM ke dalam wadah khusus untuk microwave dan tambahkan sedikit garam.  Pilih wadah yang besar. 

2.       Microwave selama 2 menit pada power medium.

3.       Keluarkan, aduk dengan balon whisk.  Hati-hati karena wadah dan isi akanmenjadi panas selama proses pembuatan.

4.       Microwave lagi pada power/temperatur medium selama 2 menit.  Keluarkan dan aduk.

5.       Ulangi proses pemanasan dengan microwave, tetapi kali ini dengan power/temperature medium-low selama 16-24 menit sampai susu mengental dan berwarna seperti karamel.  Aduk setiap 1-2 menit pemanasan.   Sesuaikan waktu pemanasan sesuai dengan warna dan konsistensi yang diinginkan.  

Cara 2: Menggunakan Oven

1.       Panaskan oven dengan suhu 425 derajat F (220 C)

2.       Tuang SKM ke dalam wadah/loyang kaca.  Taburi dengan garam.

3.       Tempatkan ke dalam wadah/loyang kaca lain yang lebih besar.  Isi dengan air panas setinggi setengah dari loyang yang berisi SKM.     

4.       Tutup rapat wadah yang berisi SKM dengan aluminum foil dan panggang selama 1 – 1 ¼ jam sampai berwana coklat karamel.  Periksa adonan selama proses pemanggangan dan tambahkan air bila diperlukan.

5.       Keluarkan dari oven dan biarkan dingin.

Cara 3: Dalam Kaleng SKM

1.       Lepas label SKM.

2.       Buat 2 lubang kecil berseberangan di atas kaleng SKM (bisa dengan paku atau pembuka kaleng).  Jangan lewatkan tahap ini!  Tanpa lubang ini, kaleng dapat menggembung dan ada kemungkinan meledak.

3.       Masukkan kaleng SKM ke dalam panci kecil, tuang air sampai kira-kira setinggi 2,5 cm di bawah kaleng SKM.  Penambahan air  diperlukan selama proses pemanasan.  Untuk menghindari kaleng berderak di dalam air, bisa menempatkan tatakan di bawah kaleng sehingga kaleng tidak langsung menyentuh dasar panci.

4.       Didihkan dengan api sedang-tinggi.  Begitu air mendidih, kecilkan api tetapi jaga air tetap sedikit mendidih.  Susu akan sedikit merembes keluar dari lubang, jika ini terjadi segera ambil dengan sendok, dan jaga jangan sampai tumpah ke dalam air.

5.       Tunggu.  Lamanya menunggu tergantung pada jenis dulce de leche yang diinginkan.

ü  Dulce de Leche sedikit kental memerlukan waktu sekitar 3 jam.

ü  Dulce de Leche kental dan pekat memerlukan waktu sampai 4 jam atau lebih.

6.       Angkat kaleng SKM dan biarkan dingin.

7.       Buka kaleng SKM dengan hati-hati dan tuang ke dalam mangkuk.  Bagian permukaan akan sedikit kental, sementara di bagian dasar aka nada gumpalan-gumpalan yang lebih pekat dan berwarna lebih gelap.  Aduk dengan balon whisk sampai bercampur dan halus.  Simpan dalam botol kaca.

Cara 4: Menggunakan Panci Bertekanan (Pressure Cooker)

1.       Tuang 1 liter air ked lam panci bertekanan, masukkan kaleng SKM.  Jangan membuat lubang di atas kaleng, tetapi lepaskan labelnya.

2.       Didihkan dan tunggu selama 40-50 menit setelah panci mengeluarkan uap.  Waktu singkat = warna lebih muda dan tidak begitu kental.  Waktu lama =  kental dan pekat.

3.       Matikan api dan biarkan dingin.