Dulce de Leche

What is Dulce de Leche? - Mary S.
More on Dulce de Leche - Satyam
A Dulce de Leche Caution - Kerry Webb
Dulce de Leche and Cranberry Sauce - Jean A.
Dulce de Leche Caramel - Susan Wenger
             Bru Helmboldt's "Canned" Advice

What is Dulce de Leche? - Mary S.
It's milk boiled down with lots of sugar - boiled and boiled until it's a warm brown and thick and gooey (slightly softer than peanut butter) and heavily caramelized. You can make it yourself, or (easier) buy it at the store in big jars. This was spread on toast sometimes at afternoon tea, or used as a filling in sandwich cookies, or served in a pudding dish - American meaning of pudding, not British meaning - with whipped cream on top. If you're thinking the calorie count on that would be astronomical, you're probably right.
If you want to recreate this taste treat, buy a can of sweetened condensed milk and cook it under gently boiling water for an hour or longer. (One web source says, put the can on its side, not its bottom) Do not let it boil dry or you will be doing an exhaustive cleaning of your kitchen ceiling. Let it cool, still under the water, then open with a can opener (not a punch style, something that takes the whole lid off), spoon out and enjoy.

More on Dulce de Leche - Satyam
Putting the can on its side is correct and very important, or you can also put some spacer at the bottom, so the can of condensed milk doesn't touch the bottom directly and get too much heat, but is completely surrounded by water. You don't open or perforate the can, you don't even need to peel the label off. As long as you keep the water level, the can won't even budge.
When I was a kid, we lived in the US for a year, and my mom used to do dulce de leche that way. She used to make 4 or 6 cans at once, as many as they fit in whichever pot was at hand. After all, I was still growing UP instead of sideways. Even if you are weight conscious, make sure the condensed milk has real sugar, not artificial sweetener. Sugar turns into caramel, sweetener doesn't. If it doesn't get real sugar, you just get overcooked condensed milk.

A Dulce de Leche Caution - Kerry Webb
Well, encouraged by the raves on the List, I tried it on the weekend, and it's delicious.
But .... a word of warning.
Let the can cool before opening it. In my eagerness, I plucked it from the simmering pot and gingerly eased the ring-pull top open.
The result is best described by Douglas Adams in "The Meaning of Life" as "Toronto" - blobs of sweetened caramelised confection in a straight line for three metres from the benchtop across shelves, spice jars, books and carpet.

Dulce de Leche and Cranberry Sauce - Jean A.
A woman called in [to Chris Lydon's show on NPR radio] with a recipe that recalled the 'dolce lecce' discussions on the list a couple of months ago. It seems that in her family, they boil a can of sweetened condensed milk for three hours, then sandwich the caramelized milk in between slices of jellied cranberry sauce and serve it with the turkey on Thanksgiving.
The woman cautioned that the can of milk must be covered completely during the boiling process, or else it would explode.
When someone commented that it seemed to be a dangerous process, the caller remarked that her Aunt Sarah had become careless last year and had a can explode.
Pressed, the caller assured Chris Lydon that her aunt was uninjured, but that her kitchen had to be re-decorated.

Dulce de Leche Caramel - Susan Wenger
Take a can of Borden's Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk. Take off the label - the one that says don't ever boil this can. Boil the can.
Boil the can for at least three hours, adding water to the pot as necessary to keep the can covered.
Let it cool, open the can, stick in your fingers (half of your fingers if you're like Nelson), and eat the stuff. Put it on ice cream, put it on cake, spread it on cookies. Put the rest in the refrigerator, and eat it cold the next day, or reheat as needed.
If you're ambitious, take teaspoonful-sized blobs out of the can and roll them in cocoa, or coconut, or ground nuts. Chill these on a flat plate or pan until they harden.
Do NOT try this with chocolate-flavored sweetened condensed milk - it looks like it should work, but it doesn't taste right.

Bru Helmboldt's "Canned" Advice
My mom used to mail me these as "geedunk" when I was overseas in the Navy. Her warning was - best to lay the can on it's side, so a boil bubble doesn't form under the lip of the can and blow it out of the pot.