Cajeta (Mexican goat milk caramel)

You all know dulce de leche, right? Well, this is almost the same thing, only made of goat milk, which is the richer, denser and more flavorful version of cow milk. When done out of goat milk, this luxurious caramel sauce is called "Cajeta" and its use is traditional in Mexico. Honestly, being familiar with both, I can really notice the difference between this and dulce de leche when tasting a bit. And the vote goes up for this one :) Even if you're not a fan of goat milk over cow's.
I made this for Sweet Romania's June challenge and I'm pretty sure this is a thing which Andie, this month's host, would like. :)
Recipe source: here.

P.S: Happy birthday, Dad ! :)

Last year: Straciatella cream pie (Italian).


Ingredients (makes about 750 ml Cajeta):

• 2 liters goat milk, organic
• 450 g white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon water (plus more, possibly, for thinning)
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (just a pinch) (or a cinnamon stick)

Gather your main ingredients:

Pour the milk and the sugar (with the pinch of cinnamon in it) in a large pot, heavy-bottomed, like a Dutch oven or ideally a cast iron pot (like ours).

Stir very well and start heating it until it beings to boil; and when that happens take it a bit aside. That should take about 15 minutes and when it starts to boil all the sugar should already be completely dissolved. (Stir once in a while).
When you move the pot aside from the heat (when the content starts to boil), stir in the soda, previously dissolved in the water. Mix well. The milk might foam a bit (due to its acidic content), don't worry.

After stirring in the soda, return the pot to the heat source and bring it back to a simmer, just below the boiling point.

Now, just keep it simmering for about 1 hour and 20 minutes for it to become the lovely caramel. Stir every 10 minutes or so and watch it magically transform:

When it looks like this (the first picture above), it's done. To be sure, test a few drops on a clean plate:

If they have a thick caramel sauce - like consistency, it's done. In the pot, being much hotter, it tends to be more liquid so it's harder to tell. But this is what the "drops-on-the-plate" test is for. :)
Remove from the heat, allow it to cool a bit (just a bit, should still be warm), and pour in a large jar.

You can keep it at room temperature for a day (or until completely cooled), then keep it in the fridge for 3-4 weeks. You can have it as icecream topping, cake filling, spread, etc... or on its own. Enjoy :)