As a kid I remember my grandmother used to cook this all the time. My grandparents had a dairy farm, so they had to come up with things to do with the leftover milk. This is the same recipe my grandma used and, if memory serves, it was the best dulce de leche I ever had.
For the topping you can choose either guava paste (from this recipe), pineapple jam (from this recipe) or coconut fudge (from this recipe). Or you can simply serve plain.
Bear in mind that this are very sweet, in fact it is the sugar that holds the whole thing together.
Dulce de leche en pasta are delicious and simple fudge squares can be made plain or topped with jams or coconut cream.
Ingredients
- 8 cups of fresh milk (or full cream)
- 6 cups of brown sugar
- 1 stick of cinnamon
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients in a deep-bottomed iron, aluminum or copper pot.
- Boil over medium heat until it starts to thicken (don't let it overboil). Stir constantly until it thickens enough that you can barely stir anymore (this may take up to 40 minutes).
- Remove from the heat and pour into a greased square mold.
- Cover with your jam of choice and let it set for about two hours before removing from the mould.
- Cut into squares.
Important Notes
Remember that you cannot use skim milk instead of full cream milk, it won't work. I strongly suggest that you use fresh milk, but, if like most city dwellers you don't have a cow at home, go for the freshest milk that you can find in the supermarket (not UHT).
Aunt Clara's Kitchen is a collection of traditional Dominican recipes, recipes inspired by Dominican flavors, as well as the chronicles of the Aunties' adventures in the kitchen and outside.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Just one complaint, in a regular spaghetti pot, this is a 2 hour ordeal, nowhere close to 30 minutes. Maybe in a huge pot it only takes 30 minutes, but in an average spaghetti pot, it is 2 hours. But please, do not be discouraged when you have been stirring for an hour, twice as long as what you were supposed to do. When it turns into a yogurt type substance, in another hour, you will know it. And when you finally do get to enjoy it, it is well worth the wait, it is very very sweet, and tastes very good.
One thing I did however, instead of 8 cups of milk, I split it up and did 4 cups of milk, and 4 cups of whipping cream, I believe it shortened the time, and made it a little thicker to start off with.
Hi Dan, where did you read 30 mins?
I am cooking this right now 2/26 @ 11:12 US time. It has been on the stove top for 2 hours. I have been stirring consistently. It has now become the color of caramel and it is thick but not as thick as yogurt quite yet. Is this right?? I am an American cooking this for my Dominican husband…I would like it to come out right… Please help. Thx.
Are you following the recipe exactly as written? If so maybe you should up the heat.
Check this picture to see the consistency you should aim for (top middle): http://dominicancooking.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/memelo1.jpg
And BTW, the brown sugar will produce toffee darker than the one in the picture (in which I used white sugar, but rather like it with brown sugar).
How long do typically stir?