The Burnt Goat

Cajeta is the Mexican (Celaya, Guanajuato) goat-milk version of dulce de leche — the signature long-cooked milk caramel of Latin America. The technique is patient: pasteurised goat milk, sugar, water, cinnamon and bicarbonate of soda are reduced together over low heat for four to six hours, until lactose and proteins caramelise into a dark-amber spreadable paste. Bicarbonate raises the pH, prevents curdling and aids browning. The goat milk delivers a more pungent, slightly tangy finish than the bovine dulce de leche of Argentina — caprylic notes intermingle with caramelised milk solids. The Burnt Goat is the literal English translation: the cajeta has the slight goat-musk that distinguishes it from cow’s-milk caramel, plus the longer-cooked burnt-sugar deeper register. Spread on hot brioche, fold through ice cream, dip apple slices, drizzle over churros, layer into a tart, eat from the spoon.