This week I feel like I have immersed myself in caramel. It all started with a jar of dulce de leche that our content director, and Eat In editor, Anelde brought back from her recent three-week holiday in Argentina.

Dulce de leche literally means ‘sweet from milk’ and is sometimes called ‘milk jam’. Essentially it’s boiled sweetened milk. I have been eyeing out some very special jars of home-made dulce de leche on the shelves at Hemelhuijs, which chef and owner Jacques Erasmus is making, and I can't wait to try the caramel at Market on Main in Joburg.

It all reminds me of boiling cans of condensed milk to make good old-fashioned Peppermint Crisp tarts and vanilla sponges sandwiched with caramel and cream. Office birthday parties have certainly changed over the years, now it’s all macaroons and madeleines. Salt flakes go surprisingly well with caramel – they break the sweetness. Try the new style of petit-four – tiny squares of soft caramel and white flakes of salt, they’re fabulous with a few sips of espresso.

Abigail

Image: Flickr