You can’t beat the smooth, creamy moreishness of quality dulce de leche, especially when you’ve made it yourself. This indulgent sweet treat requires a little love and attention, but trust us, the reward is well worth the effort.
Not to be confused with its cousin, caramel, traditional dulce de leche is Argentinian in its roots, its name translating to “sweet from milk”. It’s made by slowly heating sweetened milk until the mixture thickens, changes flavour and becomes a light brown colour.
Amazing in banoffee pie (try this super-simple sundae version), ice cream, on pancakes or as an oozy doughnut filling, this recipe will go down a storm, however you choose to serve it.
HOW TO MAKE DULCE DE LECHE
In a large pan, combine 500ml of goat’s milk and 500ml of cow’s milk with 200g of caster sugar and 1 cinnamon stick, and place over a medium heat
Simmer for 10 minutes, or until the surface is shimmering and the liquid is about to boil, stirring often
Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in ¼ teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda. The milk will froth up, but return the pan to the heat and keep it briskly simmering, stirring often. This stage needs careful attention – stir to keep it from catching on the bottom, but do not reduce the heat too much
Keep it simmering for about 1 hour – put a timer on for every 10 minutes and keep checking it
Before long, it will turn a golden brown and thicken. From this point, check it every 5 minutes, stirring well, as it can catch quickly. It will deepen in colour and form a syrupy consistency
After about 30 minutes it will be a rich, deep coppery brown, syrupy thick and sweet
Let it cool a little, then pour into a sterilised jar. Store in the fridge and warm it a little when you want to use it
If you can resist digging in straightaway, fold your dulce de leche into this beautifully comforting ice cream and serve up with the hot, crunchy fritters. You can use the leftovers in any of the other recipes above. Enjoy!
Dulce de leche is also the perfect homemade Christmas gift, watch Michela Chiappa make it here: