Description
Smoky, tangy caramel sauce made in the traditional Mexican style. Not your everyday caramel!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 qt (just about 1 liter) goat’s milk
- 1 cup (200 g) sugar
- 2 Tbsp. (30 mL) light corn syrup (optional)
- 1 cinnamon stick (I used 3 pieces of unrolled cinnamon bark, which is approximately the same thing) AND/OR 1/2 vanilla bean or 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp. (1.2 g) baking soda dissolved in 1 Tbsp. (4 mL) water
- 2 Tbsp. (8 mL) rum, brandy, bourbon, or other similar liquor (optional)
Instructions
- Mix together the goat’s milk, sugar, corn syrup, and cinnamon stick in a large pot (at least 3 quarts). Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring so the sugar dissolves.
- Remove the pot from the heat and add the dissolved baking soda, stirring all the while. The mixture should froth, but if it doesn’t your goat’s milk just might not be very acidic (that’s okay). Stir it until most of the foam subsides.
- Return the pot to medium-high heat and bring to a brisk simmer. Cook for an hour or so, or until the mixture turns golden (see bottom lefthand photo on cooking photo collage, above). Stir every five minutes or so to make sure it isn’t scorching on the bottom of the pan.
- After the mixture turns pale golden, you’ll need to start stirring more frequently. The mixture will darken to a caramely-gold color and thicken to the consistency of maple syrup – it should easily coat the back of a spatula or spoon. This should take another 15 minutes or so, but you can continue to cook until it is the color and thickness of your liking.
- Strain the hot caramel mixture through a sieve into a container (preferably glass). Remove the cinnamon sticks from the sieve. (If you don’t have a sieve, it’s okay – you may find a lump or two in the finished caramel, and just make sure to remove the cinnamon sticks.)
- If you want to finish with liquor, pour into the warm caramel and stir.
- The cajeta will thicken as it cools, and will keep in the refrigerator in a covered container for at least one month. If it is thicker than desired when cool, you can add warm or hot water to thin.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 mins