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Cajeta de Celaya

Taken past the pourable stage to where a drop holds its shape on a cold plate, so it sets firm enough to spread.

Vegetarian, but not vegan — contains dairy (milk).

Ingredients

Method

  1. IT IS TAKEN PAST THE POURABLE STAGE TO WHERE A DROP HOLDS ITS SHAPE ON A COLD PLATE. That is the whole difference and it is twenty minutes of further cooking past the point where the pan already looks finished. The test is done with a saucer kept in the freezer: a few drops are put on it and left ten seconds, and the question is whether the drop slumps into a disc or stands with a visible dome and wrinkles when pushed. A standing drop means the batch will set firm enough to spread on bread without running off, which is what this version is for. Stopped where the plain cajeta stops, it is a sauce.
  2. THE EXTRA TWENTY MINUTES ARE THE DANGEROUS ONES. By then the pan is thick, there is little water left to carry heat away, and it catches within seconds of being left. The heat goes down as it thickens -- lower than feels efficient -- and the spoon does not stop moving.
  3. SOME COW'S MILK GOES IN, WHICH THE PLAIN VERSION DOES NOT HAVE. Five hundred millilitres of the two litres. Cow's milk has more of the protein that sets firm, and in a batch cooked this far it gives a smoother, less grainy finish; all goat's milk taken to the same point can turn slightly sandy.
  4. THE CINNAMON GOES IN WHOLE AND COMES OUT, and there is more sugar than in the plain one. Fifty grams more, because a longer cook caramelises more of it away and the finished paste would otherwise taste flat and faintly burnt rather than sweet.
  5. IT IS POTTED WHILE STILL HOT ENOUGH TO POUR. At the stage it is taken to, it stops pouring within a few minutes of leaving the heat. Jars warmed and ready, and it goes straight in; left in the pan to cool, it has to be dug out with a spoon.
  6. The goat's and cow's milk and the sugar put in a LARGE heavy pan, no more than half full, and warmed until the sugar dissolves.
  7. The bicarbonate slaked in the tablespoon of water.
  8. THE PAN TAKEN OFF THE HEAT and the slaked bicarbonate stirred in. It will FOAM hard for about 20 seconds.
  9. Returned to the heat with the cinnamon stick and the salt.
  10. Simmered 45 MINUTES over a medium-low heat, stirred often and the base scraped.
  11. A SAUCER PUT IN THE FREEZER.
  12. The last 25 MINUTES stirred CONSTANTLY, the heat turned DOWN as the pan thickens.
  13. At about 1 HOUR 10 MINUTES: a few drops put on the COLD SAUCER and left 10 SECONDS.
  14. TESTED: the drop must HOLD ITS SHAPE with a visible dome and wrinkle when pushed. If it slumps flat, another 5 minutes and tested again.
  15. The cinnamon LIFTED OUT and the vanilla stirred in off the heat.
  16. Poured into WARM jars at once, while it still pours.
  17. Keeps 3 months and is firm enough to spread.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Mexico · All recipes