Mexican Burnt Milk Candy Leche Quemada Recipes

MEXICAN BURNT MILK CANDY (LECHE QUEMADA)

Steps:

• Line a 9 X 13 inch baking dish with foil or parchment paper. Spray well with nonstick cooking spray.
• Place the sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar, and salt in a large 6-8 quart sauce pot and set over medium-high heat. Secure a candy thermometer to the side of the pot. Stir well and bring to a boil.
• Once boiling, lower the heat to medium-low. Stir continually until the candy thermometer reaches "soft ball" temperature, or 240 degrees F. It's okay if the bottom browns and little burnt sugar pieces are floating around the mixture. Just make sure to keep stirring!
• At 240 degrees F, remove from heat and immediately stir in the butter and vanilla extract. Once smooth, carefully pour the mixture into the prepared dish and allow the mixture to cool.
• When the Mexican Burnt Milk Candy is firm, but still warm, cut into small squares. Do not wait to cut the candy when it's all the way cool. It becomes hard to cut. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.

LECHE QUEMADA (BURNT MILK FUDGE)

Steps:

• Put sugar, evaporated milk, evaporated goat's milk, corn syrup and salt in a large heavy pot.
• Attach a candy thermometer to the pot.
• Cook on medium-low heat for 1 hour, stirring often with a wooden spoon.
• The temperature should rise slowly but steadily.
• Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring constantly, for 20 minutes. Increase heat to high and cook, again, stirring constantly--make sure to scrape the burned bits off the bottom as they develop--until the the temperature reaches 245 degrees.
• Immediately remove pot from heat, stir in vanilla and butter and continue to stir mixture occasionally as it cools.
• When the candy cools to 180 degrees, stir in pecans (optional) and transfer to a buttered 9 x 12" baking pan.
• Cool slightly, cutting into bars while still pliable.
• Cool completely before serving.

LECHE QUEMADA (CARAMELIZED MILK)

Steps:

• Heat milk in a saucepan. Add baking soda and cinnamon. Bring to a boil over high heat and remove from heat. Cool. Repeat procedure 3 times. Combine sugar and cornstarch. Beat egg yolks with sugar-cornstarch mixture. Add some hot milk to egg mixture, stir and pour back into hot milk. Return to heat, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until pudding is very thick and separates when stirred to reveal the bottom of the pan. Add walnuts and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Spoon pudding onto a deep heat-resistant platter. Sprinkle with sugar and top with butter. Heat the broiler and brown top of pudding. Sprinkle generously with chopped walnuts and cool for 4 to 5 hours before serving.