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Crockpot Costa Rica Cajeta de Leche Recipe
This delicious cajeta is great served with ice cream, fruit, or cake. It is very sweet so you will not need a lot of it. Just a drizzle is enough to liven up any dessert. Try warm cajeta over vanilla ice cream for a real taste of heaven. You can use cow's milk if goat's milk is unavailable but goat's milk is the traditional ingredient used to make cajeta in Mexico. This thick Mexican confection is usually made with sweetened condensed milk.
So, why is cajeta called cajeta? Apparently it is because the mixture should be so thick that when you draw a spoon through it you can see the bottom of the cooking pot. In Spanish, the phrase "al punto de cajeta" means just that. Another reason for the name might be because it was originally packed in small wooden boxes and cajeta is the Spanish word for little box. Most cajeta recipes are made with milk, although some recipes call for other juices or liquids. White wine or liquors feature in some authentic cajeta recipes and these might also contain almonds, pecans, walnuts, or raisins. Other names for cajeta include dulce de leche (sweet milk) and leche quemada (burnt milk).
There are similar recipes all over the world, including pera, which is an Indian milk-based dessert, and opera fudge. The Hershey Company introduced cajeta-flavored candies in 2005 and these were targeted at Mexicans living in the United States and Mexican food fans. Cajeta was declared Mexico's Bicentennial Dessert in September 2010. The following recipe is really easy and you just need to combine the ingredients and add them to the crockpot. The cooking time is about ten hours but it might be less or more. If your cajeta does not seem to be thickening up, take the lid off the crockpot and cook it for another half an hour or so. It should thicken up then. This version comes from Costa Rica and is very similar to its Mexican cousin.
Cajeta - Mexican Style Caramel Sauce
Ingredients -
2 cups whole milk
2 cups goat's milk
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 de-seeded vanilla bean
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup white sugar
Preparation:
Add the milk, cornstarch, vanilla bean, baking soda, and sugar to the slow cooker and stir it well.
Cover and cook for 10 hours on high, stirring it occasionally during the final hour of the cooking time.
Strain the cajeta through a fine sieve and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
Serve it at room temperature or slightly warmed.
Photo Description:
Cajeta is a thick syrup which is beloved throughout Mexico and is also gaining popularity all over the world. This delicious sauce keeps for weeks so it is worth making plenty. It is sweet, rich, and delicious and you can use it in various ways. Perhaps you fancy topping your ice cream sundae with cajeta, using it as a cake frosting or serving it with fresh fruit. You can even spread it over toast for an indulgent breakfast or supper. Cajeta made the traditional way, with traditional ingredients, is far superior to the cajeta you can buy in a jar, as you would expect, and this crockpot cajeta recipe means you can leave it to cook itself to perfection without the need for supervision.
