Cajeta

(6 servings)

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

I consider Cajeta or goat’s milk caramel an elevated version of dulce de leche which is made with cow’s milk. The taste is rich and concentrated and the flavor profile more complex. It took me about an hour and half to reduce a quart of goat’s milk. A pinch of baking soda added at the start of the process will lower the temperature at which the milk can brown and develop the flavor.

Ingredients:

• 1 quart goat’s milk
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 vanilla bean

Method:

Split the vanilla bean with a knife and slowly scrape out the vanilla from within. Add the scraped out vanilla to milk in a medium non stick pot along with salt, sugar and baking soda. Warm all the ingredients under medium heat, stirring occasionally until all ingredients are dissolved.

Reduce to a gentle simmer. Keep stirring frequently until the milk is thick, golden and has the right caramel consistency. A good way of knowing when it is done is to quickly draw a line with your spatula at the bottom of the vessel. The line should have a tail that remains for around a second before it is covered back up with the caramel. Slowly pour out the cajeta into a heat resistant glass jar. The cajeta quantity should be around 1 cup. Allow to cool and then refrigerate.

Tips: Since the cajeta needs constant love and stirring while on simmer, I recommend firing up a movie or watching a game on tv while doing it. That way you kill two birds with one stone 😉