Canned condensed milk morphs into Dulce de Leche

Talk about easy, just keep an eye on it!

Drop a can of condensed milk in a pot of boiling water, and boil for 3 hours (yes). Make sure the can is always completely submerged, and after boiling, don't open the can until it has cooled. When served warm, it's fantastic!

{Yep, that's why ensuring that the can is always completely submerged in the water is so critical - if the pot boiled dry, the can would explode. I use my pasta pot to make sure there's no chance of there NOT being enough water.}

[Dunno if it would be even better with sweetened condensed milk (like you find in a Vietnamese coffee), or not.]

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Related, and also simple:Banoffee Pie recipe (think it's a UK thing).

Ingredients:

1 ready-made graham cracker pie crust (or make your own crust for a pie about 25cm across)
1 (400 ml) can sweetened condensed milk
3 bananas
300 ml cream
hot chocolate powder or cocoa , for dusting

Directions:

1 Place the UNopened can of condensed milk (don't open the can!) in a saucepan and cover with water.

2 Bring the water to the boil then reduce slightly and let the can boil covered for 2 1/2 or 3 hours (if you're patient enough to wait for 3 hours it is better).

3 IMPORTANT- Don't ever let the saucepan boil dry.

4 Keep checking up on it and adding water if necessary.

5 Remove the can and wait a few minutes before opening it very carefully in the sink.

6 The condensed milk will look like creamy brown caramel.

7 Stir the caramel in the can with a fork to remove any lumps, then pour into your pie crust and let it cool, then refrigerate till cold.

8 Slice bananas thinly and lay them on top of the toffee filling.

9 Whip the cream and spread it over the bananas.
10 I usually just cover the bananas, but if you like more cream, spread it as thickly as you want.

11 Dust the cocoa or powdered drinking chocolate on top for effect, using a sieve.

12 Serve in thin slices with coffee.

13 Enjoy!

Candied Citrus Peel- 

(I'd skip the superfine sugar for dusting)

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread- like Nutella

Cornstarch Pudding- Mahallabi

This is a very delicious and light dessert that we serve after a heavy meal. You can eat it for breakfast and top it with fruit if you prefer.

2 cups milk
3 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon rosewater
½ teaspoon ground cardamom

Bring one and a half cups of milk to a boil. Add the sugar and stir. Mix the cornstarch in ½ cup of milk and pour over the milk and sugar mixture. Keep stirring until it thickens.

Remove from heat and add the rosewater and cardamom and stir. Pour pudding in small custard cups and decorate with pistachios.
Put in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Vanilla Custard 

2 cups milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Have eggs ready in a bowl, and set aside where it will be within reach.

Using a whisk, combine milk, sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan over medium heat on stovetop. Allow milk to scald (heat to the point when tiny bubbles form around edges of pan). Whisk occasionally to prevent cornstarch from clumping on bottom edges of pan.

Remove milk mixture from heat, preferably to a burner that's turned off.

Mix about 2 tablespoons of scalded milk mixture into eggs using whisk, then introduce eggs into milk mixture in a slow stream, whisking milk mixture constantly.

Immediately return pan to heat and whisk gently until custard thickens, another two or three minutes. Do not allow to boil. (If you find that you have egg white strands in custard, feel free to pass it through a fine-mesh sieve into a different bowl now.)

Remove pan from heat and stir in vanilla.

Mexican Coffee Pudding

1/2 cup sugar

3 Tablespoons cornstarch

3 eggs, beaten

2 1/2 cups whole milk

1 Tablespoon instant coffee powder

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

sweetened whipped cream (optional)

Mix cornstarch, sugar and salt in saucepan. Mix whisk eggs and milk in bowl, then whisk into sugar mixture.

Bring to boil over med. heat. Whisk in coffee, stirring, until mixture is thick, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in vanilla. Divide among 4 bowls, refrigerate 6 hours.

Here are a ton more of Vietnamese desserts

Chè Chuối - Banana cooked in coconut - sugar syrup (southern dessert)

Ingredients:

* 6 firm but ripe, peeled bananas
* 1 cup canned or fresh coconut milk
* 2 cups water
* 1 cup sugar
* 1/4 cup of small pearl tapioca (soak tapioca in water overnight)
* 1/2 cup of sweet potato or yucca root vermicelli (soak
in water overnight)
* 2 tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds

Preparations:

* Soak in water the sweet potato or yucca root vermicelli for 1 hour or overnight. Combine sugar, coconut milk and water in a medium sauce pan. Bring to boil then simmer for few minutes.
* Drain the vermicelli and tapioca and add to the sauce pan, stir constantly until tapioca pearl are clear and the vermicelli is cooked.
* Cut the bananas into 2-3 inch lengths, add banana pieces to the pan, simmer for 5 minutes. If the syrup is too thick add a little more water. Serve the dessert in individual bowls. Before serving, sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds on top. This dessert can be served hot or cold.
* Serves 8-10

GLUTINOUS RICE BALL IN GINGER SYRUP(chè trôi nước)

INGREDIENTS:
For the gluten rice balls:
-250gr glutinous rice flour
-50gr rice flour (can be substituted with gluten rice flour)
- 150gr mung bean

For the ginger syrup:
- 100gr fresh ginger- slice
- 150ml water (approx.)
- 200gr sugar (approx.)

For the coconut sauce:
- 250ml coconut milk
- 5g tapioca startch
- few pandan leaves
- toasted seasame seeds

PREPARATION:

For the balls:

*

Soak the mung bean for 1-2hr, steam until crushable
*

Place the mung bean in a bowl, add in some sugar for a sweeter taste, then mash well.
*

Take out small portion, roll into small ball with approx 2cm in diameter (make approx 10 balls)
*

Mix gluten flour and rice flour together in a medium mixing bowl
*

Gradually add in water while kneading until the dough is smooth and does not stick to the bowl
*

Take out small portion, roll into a ball
*

Flatten the ball, place the mung bean ball in the center
*

Wrap it.( Don't worry if the ball doesn't not look good enough, as long as the rice dough can cover the mung bean ball)
*

Drop in some water onto the palm, then roll the ball until look smooth (water helps disappear lines and smoothen the ball)
*

Make 10 balls, the rest of the dough will do for some tiny balls with no filling.
*

Boil the water, drop in the balls, wait until the balls float onto water's surface
*

Then take out, immediately put in cold water (to rinse off exceed mucus)

For the syrup:
- Cook the water + sliced ginger together until boil (adjust the sugar water for desirable taste), add in gluten balls, turn to small heat and leave there for 1h for the balls absorbing sugar

For the coconut sauce:
- mix tapioca flour with 5tbsp water
- In the small sauce pan, cook together the coconut milk with pandan leaves in medium heat until boil
- Gradually add in tapioca water while stirring coconut milk constantly til' it gets thicken
- Immediately take the pan out of the heat

SERVING: pour some balls and water into small bowl, add in thick coconut milk and roasted seasame seeds on top, serve warm.

Thai Sticky Rice with Coconut Cream

You could use regular sticky (glutinous) rice, coconut milk, light brown sugar and table salt for this dish and the result will be fine. However, push yourself a bit to get great coconut cream (which yields a wonderful rich flavor) or even make your own coconut milk. Frozen coconut milk from Thailand would work well too; it’s available at Asian markets. You’ll get spectacular results. This sticky rice with coconut cream recipe below reflects what we enjoyed that evening:

Serves 4

1 cup raw Alter-Eco Purple Jasmine rice
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup coconut cream, preferably the aseptic kind, such as Kara or Aroy-D brands
1 generous tablespoon Thai palm sugar
1 generous pinch sea salt

1. Use the instructions in “How to Cook Perfect Rice” to cook the rice up with the water. Set aside.

2. In a small saucepan, combine the coconut cream with the palm sugar and sea salt. Over medium heat, stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a simmer, then taste, making any flavor adjustments with extra sugar or salt. Set aside.

3. To serve, reheat the rice, if necessary, and then spoon it into individual small bowls or saucers. Top with the coconut milk and enjoy with spoons.

Note: Aseptic boxed packages of coconut milk is available at some Asian markets but the cream is seems to be more widely available. You can always scoop out the cream from an unshaken can of coconut milk, if you want.

Tapioca Pudding Recipe

One of my favorite desserts growing up was tapioca pudding. You don't see it that much anymore. Kids get pre-made over-sugared puddings from the grocery store. My parents don't make it that often as it requires too much (for them) careful stirring while the tapioca cooks. And you won't find tapioca on any low-carb diets as it is pure starch, from the same plant as cassava. Yet tapioca pudding is one of those comfort foods that conjures up happy childhood memories. It's actually really easy to make.

Look at the instructions on the package of tapioca that you buy. Some small pearl tapioca requires overnight soaking in water. If your package has that requirement, reduce the milk in the recipe to 2 1/2 cups from 3 cups.
Ingredients

1/2 cup small pearl tapioca (you can usually find it in the baking section of the grocery store, do not use instant tapioca)
3 cups whole milk (or skim milk with cream added)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Method

1 Combine tapioca, milk, and salt in 1 1/2 quart pan on medium high heat. Stir until boiling. Simmer 5 minutes, uncovered at the lowest possible heat, adding sugar gradually.

2 Beat eggs in a separate bowl. Mix in some of the hot tapioca very slowly to equalize the temperature of the two mixtures (to avoid curdling).

3 Return eggs to pan with tapioca. Slowly bring mixture barely to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and stir several minutes at a low simmer, stirring constantly until you get a nice thick pudding consistency. Cool 15 minutes. Add vanilla. Serve either warm or chilled.

Note: If you want to make a more light and fluffy, but still rich, tapioca pudding, separate the eggs. Use the egg yolks to stir in first to the pan with the tapioca. Once the pudding has become nice and thick, beat the egg whites in a separate bowl to soft peaks. Remove the pan of tapioca pudding from the stove, fold in the beaten egg whites into the pudding.

Serves 4-6.

Creamy Rice Pudding

Ingredients

3/4 cup uncooked white rice
2 cups milk, divided
1/3 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
2/3 cup golden raisins
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

In a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

In another saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups cooked rice, 1 1/2 cups milk, sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat until thick and creamy, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup milk, beaten egg and raisins. Cook 2 minutes more, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in butter and vanilla. Serve warm.