Douce macoss

Ingredients

The fudge

• 2 litreswhole milk
• 1 tinevaporated milk, about 400 ml
• 1 tincondensed milk, about 400 g
• 700 gsugar
• 100 gbutter

To flavour

• 2cinnamon sticks
• the zest of 2 limes
• 1 teaspoonvanilla
• 1/2 teaspoongrated nutmeg
• a good pinch of salt

For the layers

• food colouring, brown and white
• or cocoa powder, for one layer

Equipment

• a very large heavy pan
• a long wooden spoon
• a lined tray

Directions

1. Use the largest heavy pan you own. A small pan boils over within minutes. Keep children out of the kitchen entirely. Never taste or touch the mixture in the pan.
2. Stir with a long-handled spoon. Pour all the milk into the pan. Add the evaporated milk to it. Add the sugar and stir it all in. Add the cinnamon sticks and the lime zest. Add the pinch of salt as well. Heat it gently until the sugar dissolves. Stir it as it heats so nothing settles. Reducing it takes real patience.
3. Bring it up to a steady simmer. Keep it at a strong simmer, not a rolling boil. Stir it every few minutes at the start. Stir it constantly towards the end. It takes about an hour to reduce properly.
4. Stir in the condensed milk after forty minutes. Adding it too early risks scorching. Keep stirring from this point on. The base should stay clear for a moment. Drop a little into cold water to test it. It should form a firm ball you can pinch.
5. Take the pan off the heat entirely. Stir in the butter and the vanilla. Add the freshly grated nutmeg. Keep beating for several minutes. Fine crystals give a smooth fudge. Divide the mixture between two bowls. Work fast, since it sets as it cools.
6. Pour the first layer into a lined tray. Spread it flat and let it firm slightly. Give it about five minutes only. Spread that layer flat as well. Add a third layer if you are making one. Setting it takes several hours.
7. Let it cool completely at room temperature. Give it at least three full hours. Turn the slab out onto a board. Cut it into bars with a long sharp knife. Wrap each bar in paper or cellophane. Keep the wrapped bars in a tin. They keep two weeks in a cool place.

Technique

• The sweet is commonly said to be named after a man called Macos who made it in Petit-Goave, an attribution widely repeated in Haiti though traditional rather than documented.
• Traditional douce macoss is layered in two or three colours poured one after another, which is how it is recognised.
• It is cooked to the firm ball stage rather than the soft, since it is meant to be a sliceable bar rather than a soft fudge.

Substitutions

• Cocoa powder in one portion gives the darker layer without artificial colouring.
• Evaporated and condensed milk together shorten the long reduction considerably.

Variations

• Some makers use two layers and others three.
• A version flavoured with more lime is made by some.
• Similar milk fudges are made across the Caribbean under different names.

History

Associated with Petit-Goave, whose vendors sell it wrapped in paper to passing traffic; it is Haiti’s best known confection.

Frequently asked questions

What is Douce macoss?

Douce macoss is a dessert from Haiti: firm milk fudge scented with cinnamon and lime zest, cut in bars. Associated with Petit-Goave, whose vendors sell it wrapped in paper to passing traffic; it is Haiti’s best known confection.

How long does Douce macoss take to make?

Douce macoss takes 20 minutes of preparation and 1 hour 15 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes about 30 pieces. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Douce macoss?

Yes, within limits. Cocoa powder in one portion gives the darker layer without artificial colouring. Evaporated and condensed milk together shorten the long reduction considerably.

What is the most important thing to get right in Douce macoss?

Use the largest heavy pan you own. A small pan boils over within minutes. Keep children out of the kitchen entirely. Never taste or touch the mixture in the pan.