As a snack or element of a meal, milk is an important option. It contains protein, energy and minerals, as well as other nutrients needed for a healthy body. The addition of sugar makes the milk more nutritious. It is now possible to have dulce de leche in a can, giving you the ready-made advantages of this traditional dairy treat.
For those who have never tried it, dulce de leche is a traditional sweet dairy preparation in most South American countries. The Latin dulce indicates that it is sweet, and this is as a result of the solution of sugar in the milk base. The combined ingredients are heated slowly to produce a crumbly, crystallized (not to mention delicious) milk dish. Other ingredients, such as cinnamon, cardamom or vanilla, may also be added.
If you are going to try to make this yourself, you need to keep in mind the usual issues around cooking with milk. Milk will catch or adhere to the base of the pot if you heat it too rapidly. Hot milk generates a layer or "skin" on its surface as it cools. So, heat the milk as slowly as possible and in one session, stirring all the time. Don't do it in stages or leave it alone.
Some people make dulce de leche by boiling a sealed tin of condensed milk in water. Commercial condensed milk products are usually already sweetened, so the convenience of this method is obvious. However, this is also hazardous because the tin is airtight, and a raised temperature causes its contents to expand. If the pot is abandoned on the stove, the water will boil off and the exposed tin will explode. It may not start a fire but the clean-up job will be extensive. And, of course, this method should never be attempted in a microwave oven.
The dish is open to individual experiments with flavor or other ingredients. Milk is easy to work with, and offers ample opportunity for indigenous adaptation. There is seemingly no limit to what one can add to it. Anything that goes with milk as a drink will potentially work in this dish too. As an example, look at any milkshake menu for ideas.
It can also be used in other dishes. Custard, ice-cream or cream are typically served with desserts, but because dulce de leche is so similar to them, both in ingredients and texture, it has the same potential applications. It can also be served after the meal as a stand-alone item. Some people use it in their baking.
In India, a similar product known as basundi is made. Its method of preparation is the same, and it is combined with fruit or cheese to produce local variations. Indian cooking uses an extensive range of spices, and basundi is no exception to this.
This multinational success illustrates how people everywhere enjoy dairy. Any product that has milk as its main ingredient is therefore available to international caterers, since no religious practice or cultural preference disallows it. It is also suitable for use by vegetarians. Dulce de leche is an adaptable generic treat. We may have lost our milk teeth, but we can still cater to our sweet tooth.
For those who have never tried it, dulce de leche is a traditional sweet dairy preparation in most South American countries. The Latin dulce indicates that it is sweet, and this is as a result of the solution of sugar in the milk base. The combined ingredients are heated slowly to produce a crumbly, crystallized (not to mention delicious) milk dish. Other ingredients, such as cinnamon, cardamom or vanilla, may also be added.
If you are going to try to make this yourself, you need to keep in mind the usual issues around cooking with milk. Milk will catch or adhere to the base of the pot if you heat it too rapidly. Hot milk generates a layer or "skin" on its surface as it cools. So, heat the milk as slowly as possible and in one session, stirring all the time. Don't do it in stages or leave it alone.
Some people make dulce de leche by boiling a sealed tin of condensed milk in water. Commercial condensed milk products are usually already sweetened, so the convenience of this method is obvious. However, this is also hazardous because the tin is airtight, and a raised temperature causes its contents to expand. If the pot is abandoned on the stove, the water will boil off and the exposed tin will explode. It may not start a fire but the clean-up job will be extensive. And, of course, this method should never be attempted in a microwave oven.
The dish is open to individual experiments with flavor or other ingredients. Milk is easy to work with, and offers ample opportunity for indigenous adaptation. There is seemingly no limit to what one can add to it. Anything that goes with milk as a drink will potentially work in this dish too. As an example, look at any milkshake menu for ideas.
It can also be used in other dishes. Custard, ice-cream or cream are typically served with desserts, but because dulce de leche is so similar to them, both in ingredients and texture, it has the same potential applications. It can also be served after the meal as a stand-alone item. Some people use it in their baking.
In India, a similar product known as basundi is made. Its method of preparation is the same, and it is combined with fruit or cheese to produce local variations. Indian cooking uses an extensive range of spices, and basundi is no exception to this.
This multinational success illustrates how people everywhere enjoy dairy. Any product that has milk as its main ingredient is therefore available to international caterers, since no religious practice or cultural preference disallows it. It is also suitable for use by vegetarians. Dulce de leche is an adaptable generic treat. We may have lost our milk teeth, but we can still cater to our sweet tooth.
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