Arequipe (Colombian Dulce de Leche)
Arequipe is Colombian dulce de leche made from scratch: fresh milk and sugar cooked down for about two hours until they caramelise into a thick brown cream. The baking soda is what gives it its colour and keeps the milk from curdling. Four ingredients, and constant stirring.
Servings: 6
Calories: 850kcal
Ingredients
- 2 liters milk about 8½ cups; whole milk
- 1 lb sugar about 450 g / 2¼ cups
- 1 stick cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda speeds up the browning and stops the milk curdling
Instructions
- Put everything in a heavy pot: the milk, the sugar, the cinnamon and the baking soda. Bring to medium heat and stir constantly from the moment it starts to warm. A heavy pot matters here: a thin one scorches.
- After about 40 to 50 minutes you will see the mixture turn a pale caramel colour. When it does, lower the heat and keep stirring without stopping.
- After another 40 minutes the colour deepens and the mixture thickens noticeably. Keep stirring.
- When you stir and can see the bottom of the pot for a moment before the mixture closes over it, take it off the heat. Pour into individual containers if you like, and let it rest. It thickens further as it cools, so stop while it still falls from the spoon.
Notes
Stirring without stopping is the whole recipe: milk and sugar catch on the bottom as soon as they thicken, and one scorched patch ruins the batch. Arequipe tastes better once it has cooled completely. It is the same thing Argentina and Uruguay call dulce de leche.
Nutrition
Calories: 850kcal | Carbohydrates: 183g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 333mg | Potassium: 446mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 183g | Vitamin A: 542IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 384mg | Iron: 1mg