Guisell’s Dulce de Leche Cortada, a Sweet Colombian Treat
- March 2022
- By Guisell Gómez
- Recipe from Colombia
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- (4)
Dulce de leche cortada is one of Guisell Gómez’s favorite Colombian desserts.
And yes, its name means sweet curdled milk. That’s right: curdled.
It’s delicioso, says Guisell. This sweet treat is one of her childhood favorites. A popular Colombian dessert, dulce de leche cortada was often specially made for young Guisell by her aunt and mother in Medellín. That was before her family emigrated to Miami when she was 3 years old. The dish will forever remind the BELatina senior deputy editor of her homeland, so deeply missed—even though she goes back to visit.
Dipping her spoon into a bowl of dulce de leche cortada today takes Guisell back to a time when she and Colombia fully belonged to each other.
Another reason she admires this dish? Guisell points to its origins. Before refrigerators, milk went bad quickly in tropical Latino countries. Transforming spoiled leche into a nutritious dessert was clever and necessary, she says. “There is no waste of food. In our culture, it was very important that we take care of all of our food—and put it work. Not like it is here,” she says, admitting that the slightly spoiled comida she tosses in her home in Miami would be put to good use back in Colombia.
This dessert is similar to her other favorite Colombian dulce, which also teleports her right back to childhood, she says. Dulce de vitoria is a jam-like pudding made with cooked vitoria squash (also called cucurbita, fig-leaf or chilacayote), panela, cinnamon sticks, and cloves. ”They’re both very simple to make”—and unforgettably delicioso, she promises.
Spoiler Alert: How to Make Dulce de Leche Cortada
Sweet curdled milk? It tastes good, really? Guiselle nods.
She gets that it’s tough to get past the name. Not to mention the way it looks. ”The consistency of it is soupy. Soupy and clumpy,” she grins.
And she loves it?
“Yes, I love it! It is so good. It sounds weird but please give it a try. Just one chance.”
Guisell offers these dulce de leche cortada prep tips passed on by her aunt in Colombia:
”If you don’t have spoiled milk, or if you don’t want to wait for spoiled milk, grab lemon and put it in the milk, shake it up and it’s going to curdle.” You then boil the spoiled milk for at least an hour with cinnamon sticks and panela, or unrefined sugar cane. “Colombian moms and Colombian abuelas put two sticks in,” says Guisell, “But you can use more. I will tell you, my aunt’s ingredients are like: A little bit of this and a little bit of that.“
As to panela, this hard-as-a-stone square of sugar, it’s not always easy to cut off the piece you need for this dish. But crack it you must. ”You slam it on the ground, you grab a knife, you grab a hammer and you hammer it in. It is the craziest thing,” Guisell says. That’s what homecooks in Colombia do. Whatever it takes. Panela’s dark, deep, caramelized flavor is essential to this dish.
Like arroz con leche, dulce de leche cortada is eaten with a spoon. And also “like arroz con leche, it’s served as both a snack or dessert, any time of day, hot or cold. I remember having it when it was more at room temperature and because I liked it so much, I would eat it both hot or cold …There’s a debate” as to which way is best, Guisell acknowledges.
But “give it to me once it‘s done, and I will eat straight from the pot.”
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