The 10 best milk recipes (2024)

Milk jelly and figs

A light, sophisticated Turkish dessert.

Serves 6

5-6 leaves (15g) gelatine
500ml whole milk
50g icing sugar
1 tbsp rosewater
6 ripe figs
Honey (optional)

1 Line a small, shallow baking tray (around 18x 25cm) with clingfilm.

2 Soak the gelatine in cold water for 5 minutes, until softened. In a small saucepan, heat the milk until it's steaming, then turn the heat off. Whisk the gelatine leaves into the milk one by one, then the icing sugar, then the rosewater and leave to cool. Pour into the prepared tray and refrigerate overnight or until it has set.

3 Turn out on to a chopping board or plate, peel off the clingfilm, cut it carefully into small diamonds and serve with quartered figs, Turkey's national fruit. You could also squiggle honey over the top if you want.

Around the World in 120 recipes by Allegra McEvedy is due to be published by Conran Octopus inJune

Salt cod and potatoes cooked in milk

This recipe is inspired by one in Honeyfrom a Weed by Patience Gray, which is a timeless book of stories about cooking and eating in Italy and Greece. The Greeks call salt cod or ling bakaliáros. In her recipe, Gray recommends using whole olives, as she says pitted olives spoil the pale colourof the dish. If you use whole olives, make sure whoever eats the dish is aware of them – they can be tooth‑breakers for the unsuspecting diner!

Serves 4

1kg salt cod or ling
1–2 bay leaves
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
6 potatoes, cut into 1cm slices
A few sprigs of fresh oregano
Freshly ground white pepper
500ml milk
125ml single cream
½ tsp fresh ground nutmeg
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
A handful of parsley leaves, finely chopped
A little chilli oil or extra olive oil
2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
12 black olives

1 Soak the salt cod in cold water in the refrigerator for 24 hours, changing the water three times. Drain well and cut the fish into large chunks. Put the cod into a saucepan and cover with plenty of cold water. Add the bay leaves and bring very slowly to a gentle simmer. Do not let the water boil, or the fish will become tough. Simmer for 5 minutes then remove from the heat and leave to stand for an hour. Drain off the water. Remove the skin and bones and flake the fish.

2 Heat the oil in a cast-iron or heavy-based casserole. Arrange a layer of sliced onions andpotatoes in the base of the dish and top with a layer of flaked fish. Repeat to create another layer, then sprinkle with oregano and season with pepper. Pour on the milk andcream, cover and bring the pan to a simmer over a medium heat. Remove the lid and simmer for about 20minutes or until the potatoes have cooked. Bythis time,most of the liquid will have been absorbed and what remains willberathercreamy.

3 Sprinkle on the nutmeg, garlic and parsley. Add a few drops of chilli oil, if using, and cookfor a few more minutes.

4 Top with slices of hard-boiled egg and scatter with the olives just before serving.

A La Grecque: Our Greek Table by Pam Talimanidis (Hardie Grant). Order a copy for £16 with free UK p&p (save £4) from guardianbookshop.co.uk or call 0330 333 6846.

Baked rosemary and cardamom custard

The custard in this wonderfully old-fashioned pudding is infused with herbs and then baked. Rosemary and cardamom are used here, but you could just as easily use bay leaves or lemon verbena, ginger or even peachleaves.

Serves 6

600ml whole milk
2 sprigs of rosemary
4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
4 tbsp maple syrup
½ tsp ground cinnamon

Cajeta

Cajeta is essentially dulce de leche that has been made with goat's milk instead of cow's milk, and with the optional addition of rum. The name cajeta comes from the Spanish phrase al punto de cajeta, which means a liquid thickened to the point at which a spoon drawn through it reveals the bottom of the pot in which it is being cooked. Getting milk to pass that test requires patience, but is still really simple. Serve atop ice-cream withroasted nuts.

2 tbsp cornflour
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
3 litres goat's milk (or cow's milk, or a combinationof both)
600g granulated sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp rum (optional)

1 Add the cornflour and bicarbonate of soda toa large saucepan and gradually stir in a dropof the milk, mixing to a smooth paste.

2 Add the remaining milk and other ingredients to the pan and bring to the boil, stirring constantly.

3 Turn down the heat to low and cook for about 50-60 minutes, stirring every 15minutes until the mixture has reached theconsistency of caramel sauce. Be careful not to let the mixture get too hot – it will bothboil over and start to burn on the bottomof the pan.

4 Pour into containers. It will keep in thefridge for several weeks.

Recipe supplied by Barb Kiebel, creative-culinary.com

Milk and passion fruit icelollies

Morir soñando is a popular drink in the Domincan Republic, and these lollies are made with a version of this drink using passion fruit instead of orange juice. If you don't like the crunchy taste of the passion fruit seeds, blend and sieve before chilling. Delicious and refreshing.

Makes 6

750ml skimmed milk
200g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
250ml passion fruit pulp

1 Mix the milk with sugar to taste and stir until the sugar has dissolved, then mix in the vanilla extract.

2 Chill the milk and passion fruit pulp in separate containers in the freezer until both are nearly frozen.

3 Mix the milk and passion fruit pulp together.

4 Pour into the ice lolly molds right away, place the stick in their middle and freeze.

Roast pork in milk

Cooking meat in milk is common throughout northern Italy. It results in moist meat and a wonderfully rich and flavourful sauce. The milk transforms during the cooking from liquid to yoghurt-like clusters that form a rich brown sauce. If you give it a good whisk over the heat just before you are ready to serve, it helps to break up the sauce slightly, giving asmoother texture.

Serves 8–10

1.5kg pork loin, bone loosened and re-tied, liverremoved
50g butter
3 tbsp olive oil
700ml whole milk
Salt

1 Season the outside of the pork with a littlesalt.

2 Heat the butter and oil over a medium heat in a large, heavy-based saucepan or casserole with a lid, which you will need later. Lower the pork into the pan and crisp the skin to a rich golden colour, turning it every few minutes. It will take about 15 minutes to ensure all the edges are golden.

3 Reduce the heat slightly and add the milk very slowly, so that it doesn't bubble up too much. Gradually bring it up to a simmer and put the lid on the pan, leaving a slight gap. Cook for 2 hours or until the juices run clear when tested with a skewer.

4 Once cooked, transfer the meat to a chopping board and let it rest for 5 minutes, covered with foil. Meanwhile, skim off someof the fat from the juices, then whisk over the heat to break up the milk a little. Carve the meat, place the slices on a hot plate,pour the sauce over and serve. If youfind you have undercooked the pork, laythe slices in an ovenproof dish, pour over the sauce and bake for 5–10 minutes at180C/350F/gas mark4, until it has cookedthrough.

The Italian Cookery Course by Katie Caldesi (Kyle Books). Order a copy for £15.99 with free UK p&p (save £4) from guardianbookshop.co.uk or call 0330 333 6846.

Strawberry milkshake

This tastes like pure strawberry – not too sweet, but not too milky either. The key, as all milkshake devotees know, is the ice-cream. If you can, use one that doesn't have any eggs in it – just milk, cream, strawberries and sugar. The milk powder gives a bit of extra richness to the drink. And for the berries, get them ripe and fresh and as sweet as can be.

Serves 2-4

225g fresh strawberries, plus more to garnish
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
200ml whole milk
1 tbsp malted milk powder or regular powdered milk (optional)
570ml strawberry ice-cream

1 Hull the strawberries and slice them into a bowl. Sprinkle the sugar over them and stir in the vanilla extract. Put the bowl of strawberries into the freezer for about an hour. Put two pint glasses (or four smaller glasses) in the freezerto chill, too.

2 When the strawberries have frozen solid, pull them out and put them in the blender with 175ml of the milk. Make sure you scrape in all the syrupy juice that has accumulated at the bottom of the bowl. Blend until the strawberries are pulverised.

3 Add the milk powder (if using) and blend.

4 Add all the ice-cream and stir it into the milk and strawberries by hand, then return to the blender and blend thoroughly. If it gets stuck, carefully add the remaining 25ml of milk. Stiror shake if necessary.

5 Pour the milkshake into the chilled glasses and garnish with extra strawberries. Slurpimmediately.

Recipe by Faith Durand, thekitchn.com

Vanilla and cardamom arroz con leche

The traditional arroz con leche recipe can be time-consuming, as it requires constant supervision and stirring. This version is less demanding because it is slow-baked in the oven, but it is equally creamy and delicious. And the cardamom and lemon zest give it alittle something extra.

Serves 4

1 litre whole milk
100g arborio rice
50g light muscovado sugar
1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped
1 cinnamon stick
4 cardamom pods, cracked
Zest of ½ lemon
A pinch of salt

1 Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/gas mark3. Combine all the ingredients in a baking dishand cover them with baking parchment andthen foil.

2 Bake for 1 hour. Remove the foil and parchment, stir and bake for an additional 15‑30 minutes or until thick and creamy. This will depend on the size of the dish you are using, but remember that the arroz con leche will thicken as it sits. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Small Plates and Sweet Treats by Aran Goyoaga (Little, Brown). Order a copy for £18.40 with free UK p&p (save £4.60) from guardianbookshop.co.uk or call 0330 333 6846.

Sour-milk cake

Unassuming yet wickedly good, this sour‑milkcake has a thin, crisp top and a gauzy bottom. Sour-milk cakes first showed up in the latter half of the 19th century. Bicarbonate of soda – which was then a fairly new leavening – needs an acid, such as vinegar, to react with and create the carbon dioxide bubbles that lift thecake. As it bakes, the centre of the batter can frothin a mildly alarming way. But fear not; the cake will settle down towards the endof baking. It's besteaten on the day you bake it, but it will keepfor a day ortwo.

Serves 6-8

Butter, for greasing
75g raisins, chopped
260g all-purpose flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
A pinch of salt
¾ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp vinegar (any kind will work)
250ml whole milk
100g unsalted butter, softened
200g sugar
1 large egg

1 Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Butter a 20cm round springform tin and line the base with baking parchment.

2 Toss the raisins with 1 tsp flour. Mix the remaining flour with the bicarbonate of soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir the vinegar into the milk in a small bowl.

3 In a mixer fitted with a paddle (or in a large bowl), beat the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. Add the egg and blend. Alternately, add the milk and flour mixture intwo parts, each ending with the flour. Foldin the raisins.

4 Pour the batter into the prepared tin and level the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes on a rack, then take it out of the tin. Peel off the baking paper andfinishcooling on a rack. Dust with a littlesugar andspice.

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Spicy milk sauce

This thick and fiery ají de leche from Bolivar City is a superb accompaniment to fried fish and can be served as a condiment alongside empanadas and tamales. It also acts as an amazing flavour picker-upper when stirredin to fishchowder. Store in the fridge and use within three to four days.

Makes about 750ml

750ml whole milk
2-4 habanero or scotch bonnet peppers
2 spring onions, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves
4-6 tbsp coriander, coarsely chopped
2 tsp salt, or to taste

1 Combine all of the ingredients in a blender orfood processor and blitz until they have turned into a puree.

2 With a wooden spoon, force the sauce through a sieve into a bowl, pressing against the solids to extract as much of the liquid as possible. Store in an airtight jar.

Gran Cocina Latina: The Food of Latin America by Maricel E Presilla (WW Norton & Co). Order a copy for £12.79 with free UK p&p (save £3.20) from guardianbookshop.co.uk or call 0330 333 6846.