HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I feel so old saying this but last year seriously flew by? I guess our parents were always right when they said time keeps speeding up with age…
I spent the month of December playing around with goat’s milk to make the perfect cajeta. Some boozy, some not, some spiced, some plain, some with coconut, the list goes on. My first try went quite well but obviously, as I’m sure you know by now, I had to test out further variations only to stick with a pretty basic and delectable one.
WHAT IS CAJETA?
You may have heard of dulce de leche. An easy way to make it is by simply boiling a jar of condensed milk and voila, the luscious white condiment turns into warm, teddy bear brown caramel which falls into thick ribbons. While it’s extremely common in Latin America, it’s also very common in France and something I grew up eating both in LA and France.
Caramel is made by slowly cooking down sugar and water, whereas dulce de leche is made with cow’s milk and sugar. Due to the addition of milk, it’s silkier and has a richer texture than your average caramel.
Side note, dulce de leche is my favorite Haagen Dazs flavor and if you haven’t yet tried it, I highly rec that you do…
Cajeta is a Mexican version of “dulce de leche”. The only real difference between the two is that cajeta is made from goat’s milk rather than cow’s milk. Since goat’s milk has a tangier flavor than cow’s milk, I find that the cooked down sugary version is less cloyingly sweet and has a more interesting aftertaste. Both are delicious but definitely distinct.
The condiment is the specialty of a city called Celaya located in the state of Guanajuato. A simple google search of “cajeta de Celaya” has gotten me to add it to my bucket list trip destination list. Every street seems to have a cajeta shop and giant punnets of strawberries are sold alongside tubs of this smooth, sweet and milky condiment.
The word cajeta means small box. While it's is not confirmed, supposedly the name comes from the little boxes caramels are gifted in. Makes sense to me!
THE RECIPE
You probably would like to know how to make it now, right? This version is my favorite and the one I made for my friends for the holidays. When I arrived back in France for Christmas, it was the first condiment I made for my parents (as they had seen my TikTok and wanted to try it for themselves). SO sweet :’)
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Full disclosure, this recipe does take time as the cajeta needs to be watched and stirred for around 40 minutes to 1 hour. It’s not much brain work but it is time consuming. I promise it will be worth it!
My Spiced and Boozy Cajeta:
makes 1 jar (and a little to snack on)
This recipe is a cajeta envinada which simply means it’s cajeta with added alcohol at the end. Traditionally, it’s made with either rum or Jerez (sherry, a fortified wine) but I opted for a spiced rum. After making that first cajeta video, I received a DM teaching me about the envinada version. I unfortunately cannot find the user who taught me about this condiment so thank you infinitely if you’re reading this now!
What you need: ‘
