Cajeta

I became interested in cajeta through dulce de leche ice cream.  First with Homemade brand ice cream in the midwest, then later through HEB creamy creations in Texas.  I realize cajeta and dulce de leche aren’t quite the same thing.  One to my knowledge is Mexican and one is South American.  I researched recipes and then made up my own using as many Hispanic ingredients as possible.  The recipe makes a lot and I have a hard time finding uses for it.  Of course there is the use of ice cream topping.  There is also just eating it with a spoon.  I have tried to add it to coffee, but have not really liked the combination.  It was brought to my attention by a friend and coworker that in convenience stores in Mexico they sell cajeta between two sheets made of a thin carb, so my next exploration will be into pizzelles, which are a thin Italian waffle type cookie.  I’m going to try to make a sandwich cookie with two pizzelles and cajeta in between.  Anyways I’ll let you know how that goes when I’m making up a recipe for pizzelles.  And now the recipe,

Ingredients:

• 3 8 oz cones of piloncillo
• 1 64 oz 2% goats milk
• 1 tablespoon real vanilla
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 tablespoons Mexican desert blossom honey

Instructions:

1. In large pot, I use a copper pot made for boiling down jams, mix together goats milk, piloncillo, honey, and vanilla.
2. Bring mixture to a boil, while melting and breaking apart piloncillo.
3. When mixture starts to visibly boil, remove from heat and add baking soda.
4. Stir soda in well.  You should see a visible chemical reaction and the mixture should be foamy for the duration of the recipe.
5. Place mixture back on heat.
6. Allow mixture to boil down.  This will be a process of conduction and convection.  This mean that as the viscosity of the mixture increases you will either have to stir more, reduce the heat, or both.
7. When you can see ‘trails’ behind the spoon as you stir, the mixture is thick enough.
8. Remove from heat.
9. Allow to cool.
10. Package.  Refrigerated should last at least 3 months.