The Milky Way

You may have read the recent article in the New York Times, touting the culinary versatility of sweetened condensed milk. In the American kitchen, a can of sweetened condensed milk might hang out for years, used for a few key recipes. As Times writer Julia Moskin points out--key lime pie is one. But in the Caribbean, South and central America, and much of the rest of the world sweetened condensed milk is a pantry staple, used daily in everything from tea and coffee to elaborate desserts. The reason is simple: few places have the vast prairies required to keep massive herd of dairy cows and fresh milk products are fairly seasonal and often rare. Tinned milks--and later asceptic packaged milks like Paramalat--made the creamy goodness of milk available to all levels of folks all over the world.

But here in the US, sweetened condensed milk can confound the home cook as a daily concern. To solve that, I give you some sweetened condensed milk recipes from my book Sweet Hands: Island Cooking from Trinidad & Tobago (2nd edition, June 2010, Hippocrene, NY) in which nearly every dessert recipe makes use of milky, sweet stuff.

Soursop Punch

8 (5-ounce) servings

Soursop is also known as guanabana. While the fresh fruit isn’t always readily available, companies such as Goya offer the frozen pulp and juice. I have adapted this recipe accordingly to make use of the frozen fruit.

1 (14-ounce) package soursop pulp, thawed

2 cups evaporated milk

1/4 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

6 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk

2 tablespoons Angostura Bitters

Place all the ingredients in a blender with 2 cups of water and puree until smooth. Serve over crushed ice.

Carrot Barfi

6 to 8 servings

This confection is sometimes called carrot halwa. You can substitute freshly grated coconut for the carrot and garnish each piece with a candied cherry, raisin, or slice of almond.

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 tablespoons ghee

5 large carrots, peeled and grated finely

1/4 cup condensed milk

1 cup heavy cream

20 cashews, chopped or almond slivers (optional)

1. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish and set aside.

2. Combine the sugar and 1/2 cup of water in a small saucepan and simmer until the mixture reaches the consistency of a syrup, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

3. Heat the ghee in a deep saucepan and add the carrots. Stir well, cover, and cook over medium-low heat until the carrots are soft and there is no liquid left in the pan.

4. Stir in the condensed milk, cream, and sugar syrup. Mix well and add the nuts. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes away from the sides of the pan to form a ball.

5. Pour the carrot mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly with the back of a large spoon. Allow to cool, then cut into squares or other shapes.

Ponche Crema

5(6-ounce) servings

Ponche crema is a type of eggnog popular throughout the Caribbean. It is delicious served over ice as a creamy summer cocktail. 

4 eggs

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 1/4 cup evaporated milk

3/4 cup good-quality dark rum, such as Myer’s

1 teaspoon Angostura Bitters

1/4 teaspoon mixed essence

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Whipped cream, for garnish

Ground cinnamon, for garnish

1. Blend the eggs in a blender at high speed for 20 seconds. Add the condensed milk,  evaporated milk and about half the rum.
2. Mix again for 10 seconds. Add the remaining rum, bitters, mixed essence, nutmeg, and cloves. Pulse in the blender once more.
3. Refrigerate and serve cold, over ice cubes, with a dollop of whipped cream, dusted with cinnamon.