Sweet New Memories

Dulce de Leche (“milk dessert”) has become very popular outside of the Hispanic culture, but growing up in a Cuban family meant we always had some around the house.  This addictive recipe lets me enjoy that familiar treat without the usual milk and sugar.  Instead, it gets its rich sweetness from lucuma, a native Peruvian fruit with a heavenly maple taste known as the "gold of the Incas".  It’s also high in beta-carotene, niacin and iron.  Salud!

Dulce de Leche
Makes 12 squares

2 cups almond meal from almond milk*
1 cup lucuma powder
2 cups pitted dates
1/4 cup agave
1 vanilla bean
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup coconut oil

Put everything in a high-speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth, scraping the mixture down with a spatula as needed.  Spread into a 9 x 9 pan and place in the freezer for at least two hours.  Cut into squares.

*Almond milk is easy to make.  Just blend one part soaked almonds with three parts filtered water, then push through a fine-mesh sieve.

Comments

[Dan]

where would I get lucuma powder? Health food shop perhaps?

[Jess]

Hi Dan! Yep, it's usually next to all the superfoods like goji berries. Or you can order it online: http://www.fresh-network.com/cgi-bin/sh000001.pl?REFPAGE=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2efresh%2dnetwork%2ecom%2f&WD=lucuma&PN=lucumapowder%2ehtml%23a1_2129#a1_2129
(wish I knew how to html that).
Let me know how it goes. But be warned: this is highly addictive!

[dhawhee]

It's really really delicious. I went off my no sweets kick tonight just to try this (and felt fine about it because there's no sugar). thank you!

[green ink]

Oh my. Ripe London gets better and better every time I check in!! I think this might be the first thing I make in my new kitchen when I move next week :)

Happy weekend!

x

[Jess]

awesome, thanks! let me know how it goes, and happy moving. i've been playing around with the dates to almond ratio in order to make them more portable -- debbie will have to give her verdict.

[shauna]

OH lordy that looks so good :)

[Lane]

Im looking for something sweet to make tonight because I've been working on restaurant menu design for this new pastry place in Chicago. Now all I want to do is pig out on sweets. From looking at them all day.