Dulce de Leche

Can this really count as a blog post when all I did was boil a can?

This has been the debate going on in my head tonight, but honestly, the end result was kind of amazing--mostly because I really didn’t believe this would actually work. I had images of the can exploding, leaving traces of sweetened condensed milk all over my kitchen walls.

So to back track...tonight I made Dulce de Leche.

For those of you who read my recent post on “Eating My Way Through South America,” you’ll remember me mentioning Dulce de Leche as one of my favorite foods. This smooth caramel was literally like its own food group in Argentina. Every morning, we would spread it on toast and dip it in coffee---SO good. I actually brought back miniature cans of Dulce de Leche for all of my co-workers. Little did I know, it is actually really easy to make. All you have to do is boil a can of sweetened condensed milk for several hours. That's it. Really.

I had always been aware that there was 'something' you could make by boiling a can of sweetened condensed milk, but it wasn't until I began researching Dulce de Leche recipes that I connected the dots. If you google "boiling a can of sweet condensed milk," you will find several message boards discussing this topic, and there are people out there who are pretty skeptical of this method and encourage another method that uses a water bath in the oven instead with the sweetened condensed milk poured into a pie plate.  Because my husband is in law school, I have been encouraged to add the disclaimer that I am not officially endorsing this method and to proceed at your own risk [happy now, husband? :-)]. The most important thing to remember, make sure the can always has at least a few inches of water above it. I boiled this can over a 2-hour period, and I added a little bit of water probably every 15 minutes.

Here is what you will need:

Step 1: Unwrap the can (blogger refuses to let me rotate my photos, so apologies).

Step 2: Submerge in a deep pot of boiling water. Do this for at least 2 hours. I think you can do it up to 4 hours.The longer you do it, the thicker the consistency. BUT REMEMBER TO ALWAYS MAKE SURE THERE IS AT LEAST 2 INCHES OF WATER ABOVE THE CAN. Check on the can every 10-15 minutes.

Step 3: Remove the can and let it cool. Open the can and step back in amazement!!

Enjoy! The possibilities are endless---you could use it on toast, ice cream, cookies, cakes....the list goes on!