Cajeta Dessert Sauce Recipes

CAJETA SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large (6-quart) heavy bottomed saucepan, bring milk to a boil over medium-high heat. Add sugar and cook, stirring to dissolve.
• Add vanilla beans to saucepan and bring to a simmer. In a small bowl whisk together baking soda and 1 1/2 tablespoons water until baking soda is dissolved. Reduce heat to low and add baking soda mixture to saucepan and cook, stirring constantly. If mixture begins to foam up too high, remove from heat for a moment until foam goes down.
• Cook, stirring every 15 minutes or so, until mixture turns brown and is thickened and reduced to 3 cups, 6 to 8 hours. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and let cool slightly.

CAJETA (MEXICAN CARAMEL SAUCE)

Steps:

• Stir together the milk and sugar in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. (Make sure the liquid only goes three fourths the way up the sides, as it will froth when the baking soda is added.) Add the cinnamon stick, salt, vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds plus the empty vanilla bean pods. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat while constantly stirring. This will take about 15 minutes. DO NOT take your eyes off the pot. It boils over easily and quickly!
• When the milk comes to a boil, quickly remove from heat and add baking soda to the pot. The mixture will rise and get frothy, just keep stirring the mixture.
• Place the pot back on the stove over medium heat, and stir frequently, about every 10 minutes or so. Make sure the milk stays at a gentle simmer rather than a raging boil, and stir across the bottom of the pot to make sure the mixture is not scorching. Adjust heat as needed.
• After about an hour and a half, the milk should start to turn golden brown. Remove the cinnamon stick and the vanilla pod. At this point, it will start to thicken fast, so it's important to keep stirring so the milk doesn't burn on the bottom of the pan.
• Keep stirring until the mixture is a rich brown and thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, this will happen after about 15 to 30 minutes. Allow the sauce to cool slightly and then pour into airtight containers. The mixture will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

CAJETA DESSERT SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine sugar, salt, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon water in wide, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat. Cover saucepan and cook, checking occasionally until sugar melts and turns amber, 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overcook or sugar will burn.
• Remove from heat and slowly whisk in goat's milk. Let cool completely. Drizzle cajeta sauce over ice cream and serve, or store covered in refrigerator up to 1 week.

CAJETA

Steps:

• In a large, heavy-duty Dutch oven or stockpot, heat the milk, sugar, corn syrup, baking soda, cinnamon stick or vanilla bean, and salt until the mixture comes to a boil. As the milk begins to foam up, begin stirring it with a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon.
• Reduce the heat so the milk is at a low, rolling boil and continue to cook, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom, allowing it to reduce.
• After about 20 minutes, the milk will begin to thicken and turn a light beige color. At this point, lower the heat as much as possible (if you have a flame tamer, you may wish to use it), and be vigilant, scraping the bottom constantly as it cooks.
• Continue to cook for about 15 minutes more, stirring vigilantly, until the milk is the color of coffee with a touch of cream. Remove from the heat and allow the Cajeta to cool before serving.
• Cajeta can be layered into ice cream like Fudge Ripple (page 210), in generous spoonfuls as you remove the just-churned ice cream from the machine. This is easiest to do when the cajeta is at room temperature and not chilled.
• Cajeta can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. Rewarm it gently in a microwave or by stirring it in a saucepan over very low heat to serve as an accompaniment to ice cream. If it's too thick, you can thin it with a little milk.