Years ago, when I first heard the term dulce de leche in America, it struck me as fancy and I didn’t quite know what it was. Candy made of milk, or sweet made of milk, as the translation goes. Hmm. Until I found out it was nothing more than what we called “cooked or boiled condensed milk” back in Azerbaijan, in fact, in all of the former Soviet Union republics.
You see, cooked condensed milk serves as the basis for the cream in many cakes and sweet pastries baked in the region. Slathered in-between cake layers just like that, or mixed with walnuts, or whipped with butter—cooked condensed milk, or dulce de leche, makes the most delicious of creams. You can also spoon it over ice cream, sandwich it in-between cookies, or eat by the spoonful (my favorite way!). Dulce de leche rocks. And we all deserve to indulge in it.
The good news is that it is super easy to make your own dulce de leche at home. All you need is a can of store-bought condensed milk. Well, yes, you can make your own condensed milk first, if you wish, then turn it into a dulce de leche. But why bother if you can buy a can of condensed milk from a store, then cook it, right in its own can! Isn’t it great? Let’s do it.
Stay tuned for the recipe for something absolutely amazing that has dulce de leche in it (you will need 2 cans for it). I’ll keep it a surprise for now.
