DULCE DE LECHE... South America's best export, the MVP of so many recipes, and the heart of all of our Alfajores cookies. It is widely used and consumed throughout all of South America. In Colombia it is called "arequipe". In Perú, Chile and Bolivia it's called "manjar blanco." In Mexico it's called "cajeta" (made with goat's milk instead of cow's milk). But it really doesn't matter what you call it; dulce de leche is one of those amazing sweets that goes with almost everything! It tastes a lot like caramel, but has a creamier consistency since it is made from gently simmering milk and sugar together.
One of my favorite memories as a child growing up in Argentina was when my father Guido would go from time to time to visit one of his maternal uncles who owned a bakery in town. These visits would always be on a Saturday to go have a "vermouth" before lunch. My Dad would always ask "who wants to come with me to see "Uncle Nene" (knowing full well that my sisters and I would be willing to go knowing we could find some treasures at the bakery!). One of these treasures was a big bucket of Dulce de Leche that was put on a shelf underneath a table. The lid would not always be fully closed so we took advantage of the opportunity to inconspicuously savor the delicious concoction right out of the 50 pound bucket using just as you can imagine... our fingers! (not sanitary I know... but as a 6 or 7 year old that was not a concern :)
The problem would always arise back home at the lunch table when my mother would ask... "why aren't you girls hungry?" My dad would wink at us knowing the answer. Looking back, I think my dad knew what experiencing this meant to a child even if for that day they would skip a nutritious lunch.
It is our pride as a small family business to bring you a taste of Argentina and help you create "sweet family memories".
Much love,
Lucila