Dulce De Leche 

Dulce de Leche is made by slow caramelization of sweetened condensed milk. The resultant is used in various kinds of cakes, muffins, cookies, pies, icecreams, waffles and other desserts. It is usually prepared by slow cooking of tinned  condensed milk till it turns into thick caramel like consistency. It can be then ussd to stuff in cookies or drizzled over cakes or icecreams.

So, if you are buying a tin of condensed milk, then you can remove the label and immerse it sideways in a big sauce pan or stew pot filled with water in such a way that the water level is a good 2-3 inches above the tin. Simmer it for 2-3 hours till you get the desired colour and consistency. Make sure that the water does not dry up while simmering, or else the tin might burst or explode. It can be made in a pressure cooker too. There are several videos on you tube describing the entire procedure. You may choose to watch any one of them carefully.

But then a baker friend suggested not to boil the tin as the inside of the tin contains a wax coating which might be harmful to health. Moreover I was a bit skeptical about boiling the sealed tin, not knowing what is happening inside.

Then one day I came across this method of baking an open can of condensed milk in a water bath. It surely works well, but I am not sure whether I would make it again 🙂 I had to bake at 180-200 degree Celsius for more than 3 hours. Omg! Such a waste of electricity. Ok… agreed… its not waste… but I was scared whether my oven can work so long without a break. To get a more thicker version, I should have baked for few more minutes, but then I was too tired and I decided to stop the baking process after 3 hours and 10 minutes. The final result is lip smacking yummy and sinful loaded with calories.

To see how to make condensed milk at home, click here.

Ingredients:

• Condensed milk 1 tin

Method:

• Empty the contents of the condensed milk tin or your homemade condensed milk into a baking dish.

• Cover it well with an aluminum foil.
• Immerse the baking dish into a larger baking tray filled with water so that the baking dish is atleast three fourth in water.

• Preheat the oven at 180-200 degree Celsius for 10 minutes.
• Bake for 3 hours or more. You can check after an hour and stir the contents.
• To get a very thick dark coloured consistency, bake for longer time.
• Maybe sure there is always some water in the bigger baking tray.
• Your home made Dulce de Leche is ready to be devoured.

• I made a dessert with alternating layers of an eggless Vanilla cake pieces soaked in strong coffee decoction, whipped cream and a generous layer of Dulce de Leche. Serve it chilled. Make it in dessert jars or in wine glasses like I did 🙂