Maillard

My friend told me this cool trick. You take the can of sweetened condensed milk. You put it unopened in a pot of boiling water for 3 or 4 hours. When you open it up - Magic. Caramel Sauce.

Anyone who has actually done this knows how wonderful the result it. Its something we all learn in culinary school, the easy way to make ducle de leche. But what is actually happening here? How can milk caramelize so low below the boiling point?

The answer is in possibly the most prized of all chemical reactions to which a chef can lay claim - the maillard reaction. It has to do with protein, sugar and heat. It produces some of the most amazing and complex flavors. Its the savory quality of a baked bread or those gems of exposed meat on the outside of the lasagna pan.

We can "carmelize" milk so low below boiling temperature because its not actually being carmelized. Its a result of the maillard reaction. Its a result of a large proportion of protein and sugar to water in the sweetened condensed milk.

So if maillard reaction produces such a delicious result, and we can create this with something other than meat - what else can we do with it? How can we apply that deliciousness we equate with roasted and sauteed meats to vegetables? All it takes is protein and sugar. Plants have protein. What about soy beans? Soy bean "dulce de leche" as we do with the condensed milk? What if we sous vide cooked vegetables with whey protein or evaporated milk powder? will their natural sugars react with the protein?

This idea is long in the making and constantly evolving. I do not often think of a vegetable as being of a lower order of deliciouness than meat but the savory qualities are undeniably less. How can we elevate the vegetable to the level of meat in relation to that enigmatic fifth sense; umamai?