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Goan milk cream
Milk and cashew sweet
Milk cream: Goa's Christmas sweet of milk, sugar and cashew pressed into moulds
Milk cream is a pale, fudgy Goan Christmas sweet, set in pretty little moulds of flowers, stars and Christmas trees and laid on the kuswar platter beside neureos, bebinca and kulkuls. Whole milk is cooked down with sugar and ground cashews (and sometimes semolina) until it turns into a smooth paste, a little like Indian peda but softer. It is gluten free and very rich, so pieces are small. Chef's tip: dust the moulds with sugar, not flour, so the sweets pop out cleanly with crisp detail.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 24
Ingredients
- 6 ¼ cups whole milk
- 7 oz caster sugar
- 5 ½ oz cashew nutssoaked 1 hour, drained
- 1 oz butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp rose water (optional)optional
- 2 tbsp caster sugarfor the moulds
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Blend 5 ½ oz cashew nuts with 100 ml of ½ cup whole milk to a very smooth paste.
5 minStep 2: Bring the rest of 5 ¾ cups whole milk to the boil in a wide, heavy pan and simmer, stirring every few minutes, for 40–50 minutes, until it has reduced to about a third.
45 minStep 3: Add 7 oz caster sugar and the cashew paste and keep cooking over a low heat, stirring constantly, for 15–20 minutes.
18 minStep 4: Stir in 1 oz butter, 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 tsp rose water, if using. It is ready when it leaves the sides of the pan as a soft ball and a little rolled between your fingers doesn't stick. A common mistake is cooking too fast on a high heat, which browns the milk and turns it grainy.
Step 5: Cool until you can handle it, then knead briefly until smooth. Dust small moulds with 2 tbsp caster sugar, press in pieces and tap out.
Step 6: Leave on a tray to dry for 2 hours. Keep in the fridge for up to a week.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 110 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 13 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does goan milk cream take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 75 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 24 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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Perfect for:Christmas