Recipe: Dulce de leche

Dulce de leche is often confused with caramel sauce, but more accurately, it is caramelized condensed milk.  The process of making it was actually quite a big hurdle for me to get past as it involves cooking the milk within the sealed can.  Being a good Canadian kid who's done a bit of camping, the thought of heat applied to a sealed vessel brings to mind images of exploding cans of beans and giant fireballs (don't ask).  The potential for a hot caramel explosion in the kitchen was pretty frightening - there's no trees to hide behind.  The reason this doesn't end in disaster is that the can is submerged in water throughout the process.  There is still an element of danger if you aren't careful however - I heard a story of an apprentice allowing the water to burn off, thereby resulting in the painting of the ceiling with dulce de leche.  Nobody was hurt, but he spent the rest of the night cleaning up the mess.  In addition, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES do you open the can while it is hot.  Always let it cool completely.  The best approach is to make this a day before you need it and have it in the fridge as an extra measure of caution.

You will need:

1 can              condensed milk

Method:

 - put the can in a pot and cover it with water

 - gently bring the water to a simmer over low-medium heat

 - allow to simmer for about 4 1/2 hours

 - if you notice the water level start to move down the can, boil a bit of water to top it up with

 - after 4 1/2 hours, turn off the heat and use tongs to transfer the can to a hot mat to cool

 - once it has cooled to room temperature, move the can to the fridge to cool completely

 - use as needed