Ingredients
The milk
- 2 litreswhole milk
- juice of 3 limes
- or 4 tablespoons white vinegar
To cook
- 500 gsugar
- 2cinnamon sticks
- 4whole cloves
- a strip of lime peel
- a pinch of salt
To finish
- 100 graisins
- 1 teaspoonvanilla
- a splash of rum, optional
- ground cinnamon, for dusting
Directions
- Start with fresh milk and curdle it yourself. Use fresh whole milk for this. Never use ultra heat treated milk.
- Pour the milk into a heavy pot. Warm it gently over a medium heat. Bring it to just below a simmer. Do not let it boil hard at any point.
- Add it gradually and stir it once. Then stop stirring it entirely. Add a little more lime if it has not broken.
- Drain off about half if you are unsure. Add all the sugar to the pot now. Add the cinnamon sticks and the cloves. Add the strip of lime peel too. Add the pinch of salt as well.
- Stir it gently until the sugar dissolves. Cooking it down takes patience. Bring it up to a gentle simmer. Let it cook for about forty minutes. Stir it occasionally and gently. The liquid reduces into a thick syrup.
- Stir in the raisins for the last ten minutes. Finishing it is done off the heat. Take the pot off the heat entirely. Stir in the vanilla extract now. Add a splash of rum if you want it.
- Taste it and adjust nothing much. It should be very sweet, which is correct. Spoon it into small bowls or glasses. Dust ground cinnamon over the top. It is also good cold from the refrigerator.
Technique
- The milk is curdled deliberately with lime juice or vinegar, which is the same acid-curdling principle used to make paneer, ricotta and queso fresco, and is entirely safe.
- That is a different thing from milk spoiling with bacteria, and milk that has already gone bad should be thrown away rather than cooked.
- Ultra heat treated milk will not curdle properly, so fresh pasteurised or raw milk is required.
Substitutions
- White vinegar works in place of lime juice and curdles the milk just as reliably.
- Draining off some of the whey gives a firmer, drier sweet.
Variations
- Some cooks drain most of the whey and others cook everything down together.
- A version with more raisins and a splash of rum is common.
- Dulce de leche proper, made without curdling, is a different sweet entirely.
History
A Dominican country sweet that rescues souring milk, finished with cinnamon and raisins.
Frequently asked questions
What is Dulce de leche cortada?
Dulce de leche cortada is a dessert from Dominican Republic: milk deliberately curdled with lime, then cooked with sugar into sweet curds. A Dominican country sweet that rescues souring milk, finished with cinnamon and raisins.
How long does Dulce de leche cortada take to make?
Dulce de leche cortada takes 15 minutes of preparation and 50 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Dulce de leche cortada?
Yes, within limits. White vinegar works in place of lime juice and curdles the milk just as reliably. Draining off some of the whey gives a firmer, drier sweet.
What is the most important thing to get right in Dulce de leche cortada?
Start with fresh milk and curdle it yourself. Use fresh whole milk for this. Never use ultra heat treated milk.
