Seriously, I do.

[More:]

When my husband and I went to the Netherlands on our honeymoon, I fell in love with not just the fantastic coffee, but the slightly sweet, creamy milk the Dutch use in it. In Dutch, it's simply called koffiemelk. The EU calls it "[p]artly dehydrated milk containing, by weight, not less than 7,5 % fat and not less than 25 % total milk solids." And here in the US, we call it evaporated milk. (Which is not the same as condensed milk, also known as sweetened condensed milk. I learned that the hard way, after putting it in my coffee once, not long after said honeymoon.)

Since that time (with the exception of my aforementioned foray into veganism), I always have no less than four or five cans of evaporated milk on hand, including an open can in my fridge, at any given time. In fact, I get a little panicky if I open the very last can of milk. I'm loathe to admit it, but finding there's no evaporated milk for my morning coffee has, on more than one occasion, reduced me to tears.

Okay, now a little food history, because I'm nerdy like that: the first evaporated milk was produced in 1885, although condensed milk had already been around for almost thirty years by then. Condensed milk contains sugar, which acts as a preservative — and without that sugar, evaporated milk was prone to spoilage. That is, until John B. Meyenberg invented a new way to heat the cans evenly, sterilizing the contents. (And if you're wondering why the Meyenberg name seems familiar, Meyenberg's son, ironically, was allergic to milk, and he went on to found Meyenberg Goat Milk Products, offering what else? Evaporated goat milk.)

Anyway, back here in this century, you'll find evaporated (cow) milk in the baking aisle of any grocery stores — and more often than not, it's both overpriced and under a scary-looking layer of dust. I've found that stores in predominately Asian and/or Latino neighborhoods usually have cans of evaporated milk for less than a dollar each (really, don't bother paying more than a buck a can), and with less eminent expiration dates than the grungy supermarket cans, so you can feel free to stock up.

Now that you know where it came from and how to get it, what can you do with evaporated milk? It would be easier to say what can't you do with it. Well, you can't make it into whipped cream. It just doesn't work.

Other than that, you can use it undiluted in any recipe that calls for cream, or you reconstitute it to substitute for milk. (I've yet to notice this substitution make a difference, but I've read it can make yeast breads slightly sweeter.) Because it's already cooked, evaporated milk can withstand high temperatures without curdling, making cream-based soups and sauces easier. But, by far, my favorite thing to make with evaporated milk is the following:

Really Easy Chocolate Pudding

• 1 cup sugar
• .5 cup cocoa
• .25 cup all-purpose flour
• pinch of salt
• one 12 oz. can evaporated milk
• 1 cup water
• optional: flavored extract

In a saucepan, combine dry ingredients. Slowly add milk and water; stir until smooth. (I use a stick blender, just to be sure all the lumps are out.) Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil.

Stirring constantly, let simmer until desired pudding-like consistency is reached, anywhere from 1-5 minutes, depending on how thick you like it to be. Remove from heat and taste. I usually like it as is, but if you feel it’s a little lacking, stir in half a teaspoon (or more, if you like) of any flavored extract — almond, mint, vanilla, rum; whatever you like with chocolate.

Cool to room temperature, stirring (or blending) several times.

Eat while still slightly warm or refrigerate uncovered (if you are a fan of pudding skin) or lay a piece of plastic wrap or parchment on the surface (if you are not).

As always, to read more from me (someone who just got the latest version of Photoshop)...