When a lump of coal is subjected to unimaginable heat and pressure, it does not crumble, it transforms. Instead of disintegrating under the weight of the world, it uses that energy to reshape its structure and emerges as a diamond — brilliant and indestructible. A lump of coal that has been spared that pressure will be doomed to mediocrity and burned up with the pile, but if fate sees fit to force it to endure pain beyond the limits of its structure, the rewards are permanent and profound.

Milk is one of the few endlessly transformable ingredients. With the right combination of heat and additives, milk will change its structure and emerge in a hundred different ways. One of my favorite milk tricks is dulce de leche, a milk-based caramel sauce from South America. There are two ways to make

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