For Josephine Caminos Oria of O'Hara, Pa., the creamy caramel, dulce de leche, is a link to her heritage and preserves the memories of her grandmother.

Recipe included with this story: Traditional Dulce de Leche

Her family moved from Argentina to Pittsburgh when she was 1, and her maternal grandparents, who visited often to help out, would do everything possible to keep the old country traditions alive.

That meant Maria Dora Germain, or Grandma Dorita as she was affectionately known, would make sure that her grandchildren were able to converse in Spanish fluently and would prepare every meal from scratch. She would teach them to bake desserts such as alfajores (sandwich cookies filled with dulce de leche), torta de nuez (nut cake served with dulce de leche), and her favorite -- flan mixto (caramel custard served with whipped cream and dulce de leche).

"It was one of the first desserts she taught me to bake as a child and her way of passing on her Argentine roots," writes Oria in a memoir/cookbook, "Dulce de Leche: Recipes, Stories & Sweet Traditions" (Burgess Lea Press; Feb. 7, 2017; $25), in honor of her grandmother. "You can take the girl out of Argentina, she'd say, but you can't take Argentina out of the girl."

Because Grandma Dorita could not find commercial versions of the creamy milk caramel in the local supermarkets, she would stay up late into the night, Oria said, stirring the milk-sugar mixture constantly for about two hours so that it would be ready to be served with toast for breakfast the following morning.

And that's how Oria's love affair began with dulce de leche, which is pronounced duel-say day lay-chay. When she got older and asked her grandmother to share the recipe, she was told in Spanish: "Josie, don't even try it. You will drive yourself crazy trying." Grandma Dorita didn't want Oria, who had four boys under the age of 5, to be weighed down making the time-consuming spread.

Eventually and reluctantly, Grandma Dorita did share the recipe. "It was a recipe, but not really," said Oria, the O'Hara resident. "She gave me the ingredients without any detail as to the measurements and gave me directions without the cooking times."

Once Oria got the hang of it, she said, she became "obsessed making it."

She expanded that obsession when she and her husband, Gaston, opened La Dorita, a commercial kitchen in Sharpsburg, to make larger batches of dulce de leche. Today La Dorita features the original flavor, a dark chocolate version and one spiked with vodka.

Oria, who also is the chief financial officer for the Monroeville, Pa.-based Med Health Services, said she wanted to share the versatility of dulce de leche in her cookbook. and spoke about how it is made in a phone interview.

Q: What are the key steps to keep in mind when making dulce de leche?

A: High-quality ingredients are key. You need to use fresh raw milk or high-quality organic milk. You also need time and patience as it needs to be constantly stirred. It is really a craft.

Q: How important is it to use raw milk?

A: Fresh raw milk has all the fats and enzymes to make a buoyant dulce de leche. When milk is pasteurized it won't render down to a nice consistency as it doesn't have the fat. Also, it's OK to use raw milk as it will be pasteurized during the cooking process.

Q: Is it a must to transfer the dulce de leche to another bowl after it is cooked?

A: Because it cooks at such a high temperature, you want to cool it as soon as possible to avoid the crystallization of the sugars. If you don't, the dulce de leche won't have such a smooth consistency.

Q: There's the classic dulce de leche. But what about the variations?

A: Instead of sugar, you can make it with raw honey, which gives it layers of flavor. Or you can make a dark chocolate or coffee variety. There's the burnt caramel dulce de leche that has a nutty burnt sugar flavor and a more in-depth flavor.

Q: How does the confectionary dulce de leche differ from the traditional one?

A: The confectionary kind is used to decorate cakes and between cake layers as it's thicker in consistency and holds its shape. It won't trickle down the side or spill out of a puff pastry. The traditional kind is used as more of a spread, like on toast. Or it can be used to mix into coffee or cereal.

Q: I see that you use dulce de leche in a lot of savory dishes, too. What does it best work with?

A: As a rule of thumb, I use it in any dish that calls for maple syrup, honey or brown sugar. So I would use it on pancakes and Brussels sprouts, and with bacon. If something needs to be a little sweeter, I would use it.

Q: What do you have to say to those who think making dulce de leche is too time consuming?

A: Of course, I realize it. The book is for those who love to cook. I want to educate them about dulce de leche. That it is not just for gourmet cakes but can be used every day. It is a way of life.

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