• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

FORAGER | CHEF

Award-winning chef, author and forager Alan Bergo. Food is all around you.

  • Home
  • About
  • Wild Mushrooms
    • Mushroom Archive
    • Posts by Species
      • Other Mushrooms
        • Lobster Mushrooms
        • Huitlacoche
        • Shrimp of the Woods
        • Truffles
        • Morels
        • Shaggy Mane
        • Hericium
        • Puffball
      • Polypores
        • Hen of the Woods
        • Dryad Saddle
        • Chicken of The Woods
        • Cauliflowers
        • Ischnoderma
        • Beefsteak
      • Chanterelles
        • Black Trumpet
        • Hedgehogs
        • Yellowfeet
      • Gilled
        • Matsutake
        • Honey Mushrooms
        • Russula / Lactarius
          • Candy Caps
          • Saffron Milkcap
          • Indigo Milkcap
      • Boletes
        • Porcini
        • Leccinum
        • Slippery Jacks
    • Recipes
      • Fresh
      • Dried
      • Preserves
    • The Basics
  • Plants
    • Plant Archive
    • Leafy Green Recipes
      • Leafy Green Plant Varieties
    • Ramps and Onions
    • Wild Herbs and Spices
      • Spruce and Conifers
      • Pollen
      • Prickly Ash
      • Bergamot / Wild Oregano
      • Spicebush
      • Golpar / Cow Parsnip
      • Wild Carraway
    • Wild Fruit
      • Wild Plums
      • Highbush Cranberry
      • Wild Grapes
      • Rowanberries
      • Wild Cherries
      • Aronia
      • Nannyberry
      • Wild Blueberries
    • From The Garden
    • Nuts, Roots, Tubers and Grains
    • Stalks and Shoots
  • Meat
    • Four-Legged Animals
      • Venison
      • Small Game
    • Poultry
    • Fish/Seafood
    • Offal and Organ Meat Recipes
    • Charcuterie
  • Recipes
    • Pickles, Preserves, Etc
    • Fermentation
    • Condiments
    • Appetizers
    • Soup
    • Salad
    • Side Dishes
    • Entrees
    • Baking
    • Sweets
  • Video
    • Field, Forest Feast (The Wild Harvest)
    • Foraging Videos
    • Lamb and Goat Series
    • YouTube Tutorials
  • Press
    • Podcasts / Interviews
  • Work
    • Public Speaking
    • Charity and Private Dinners
    • Forays / Classes / Demos

Goat Milk Jam / Cajeta

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

goat milk jam or cajeta

If you’re in a kitchen, either in a restaurant or at home, you will, without a doubt, eventually peer into a cooler with a bunch of expired milk at some point in time. I used to have about 50 gallons a month to worry about, and when some would go past the date, be it whole milk, cream, half and half, or whatever, everybody went into the pot to make milk jam.

Most people have heard of dulce de leche, and I learned about it from a sous chef I had from Argentina, where it’s used to make all kinds of things. The more I researched it, the more fascinated I got, it seemed that every country in South America has a different way of preparing it, some using sour milk, some omitting the baking soda that prevents the crystallization of the sugar to keep it spreadable.

What a lot of people don’t know is that cooking milk with sugar is common in a bunch of cultures, including France where it’s called confit de lait or milk jam (Alain Ducasse shares a French recipe in Ducasse Flavors of France). I’ve also found recipes in Russian, Polish, and of course, the aforementioned South America, where it’s arguably the most well known.

A trick to preserve excess dairy, near indefinitely

goat milkMore than anything, though, I’ve used the process of cooking milk with sugar as a preservative, space-saving technique. The heat of cooking pastuerizes the milk, while the sugar functions as a stabalizing preservative. After cooking and reducing, the milk jam will stay good near indefinitely in the fridge, and once you take it out and let it get to room temperature, it will loosen up, and return to a spreadable, ooey-gooey state. It takes a little time and some careful watching at the end, but the result is a sweet concoction that would make a shoe taste good.

My favorite method is using goat milk, or the South American version called cajeta, a Mexican specialty. The goat milk gives a subtle tang to the jam that’s deeper than cows milk. That being said, most of the time I’ve used this to help get rid of excess dairy and reclaim freezer space, so yes, you can definitely make this with whatever dairy, or combinations you have laying around. I used to just dump all the old cream, half and half, milk, etc, together and let it ride.

As far as uses, some of my go-to’s are using it as cookie filling, (common in Russia and Argentina), slathering it on toast for brunch, drizzling over ice cream, and spinning it into a stupidly rich caramel ice cream. It’s also amazing as a crepe filling, traditionally in “panqueques”, or crepes filled with dulce de leche. And, if you’re wondering, yes, panqueque is definitely a cognate for pancake. Remember this stuff the next time you have some old milk!

Goat Milk Jam

goat milk jam or cajeta
Print Recipe
3 from 3 votes

Goat Milk Jam / Cajeta 

A rich preserve of milk known as milk jam. With goat milk, it becomes cajeta, with cows milk, dulce de leche.
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: Argentinian, French, Mexican
Keyword: Cajeta, Dulce de Leche, Goat Milk, Milk Jam
Servings: 1 cup

Ingredients

  • 4 cups goat milk or assorted leftover dairy
  • 1.5 cups sugar
  • 1/2 inch piece of cinnamon stick
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or half a vanilla bean, split
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions

  • Combine all the ingredients and bring to a simmer, whisking occasionally to clean up any stuck on particles on the bottom and sides of the pan.
  • Continue cooking slowly, whisking occasionally, until the mixture is thick like warm honey, and is a deep caramel color, roughly 1.5 hours. Transfer the liquid to a pint mason jar or another container and refrigerate until needed.
  • Under refrigeration, the mixture will thicken and become very hard. To loosen it up, it just needs to come to room temperature, which you could do with a microwave or just by letting it sit out for a while.

 

goat milk jam

I have no self control. Thank god I only made a small batch for my apartment.

Related

Previous Post: « Traditional Saag Paneer with Amaranth Greens
Next Post: Beets, Dried Apples and Angelica Leaves »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Judy Krohn

    April 13, 2019 at 1:48 pm

    Will this recipe work with regular cow’s milk?

    Reply
    • Alan Bergo

      April 13, 2019 at 3:58 pm

      Yes, of course. Cream, half and half, regular milk, whatever milk/dairy combos you have on hand will work.

      Reply
  2. Joanne Burnett

    April 13, 2019 at 3:11 pm

    I am so glad to learn you can save milk that is past it’s prime so to speak. I don’t like to throw away food. I have had good luck with the recipes of yours that I have tried.

    Reply
    • Alan Bergo

      April 13, 2019 at 3:58 pm

      Yeah this is a fun one, and it’s saved me from throwing away hundreds of gallons of milk over the years.

      Reply
  3. Louise

    April 13, 2019 at 7:12 pm

    I have always felt bad tossing slightly funky milk. Thanks, Alan. I will make and love this,

    Reply
    • Alan Bergo

      April 14, 2019 at 11:01 am

      I’ve never made this with milk that has soured, but I know it has been done. Let me know how it turns out if you try it.

      Reply
  4. Nerissa

    July 2, 2021 at 12:44 pm

    Refrigerate it back after microwave it, won’t spoil the product I hope?So it can be reheated indefinitely.

    Reply
    • Alan Bergo

      July 2, 2021 at 7:16 pm

      Pretty much. Cajeta is basically cooked down, ultra-pastuerized milk and sugar. It’s quite stable. It won’t last forever, but I’ve had it last for months.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Nannyberry Butter or Puree says:
    December 7, 2019 at 10:21 am

    […] thick purees on low heat Is the same process I use for making large batches of dulce de leche, apple butter, and caramelized banana puree. The 360 degree heat of an oven not only evaporates […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

James Beard Award Winner

beard award

Subscribe (It’s free)

Forager Chef

Forager Chef

Footer

Instagram

foragerchef

FORAGER | CHEF®
🍄🌱🍖
Author: The Forager Chef’s Book of Flora
James Beard Award ‘22
Host: Field Forest Feast 👇
streaming on @tastemade

Alan Bergo
HALP! I’ve been keeping an eye on two loaded mul HALP! I’ve been keeping an eye on two loaded mulberry trees and both got a bunch of fruit knocked down by the storms and wind. 

If anyone in West WI or around the Twin Cities knows of some trees, (ideally on private property but beggars can’t be choosers) that I could climb and shake with a tarp underneath, shoot me a DM and let’s pick some! 🤙😄

TIA

#throwadogabone #mansquirrel #beattlefruit #mulberries #shakintrees
Lampascioni, or edible hyacinth bulbs are one of t Lampascioni, or edible hyacinth bulbs are one of the more interesting things I’ve eaten. 

These are an ancient wild food traditionally harvested in Southern Italy, especially in Puglia and the Salentine Peninsula, as well as Greece and Crete. I’ve seen at least 6-7 different names for them. 

A couple different species are eaten, but Leopoldia comosa is probably the one I see mentioned the most. They also grow wild in North America. 

The bulbs are toxic raw, but edible after an extended boil. Traditionally they’re preserved in vinegar and oil, pickled, or preserves in other methods using acid and served as antipasti. (Two versions in pic 3). 

They’re one of the most heavily documented traditional wild foods I’ve seen. There’s a few shots of book excerpts here.

The Oxford companion to Italian Food says you can eat them raw-don’t do that. 

Even after pickling, the bulbs are aggressively extremely bitter. Definitely an acquired taste, but one that’s grown on me. 

#traditionalfoods #vampagioli #lampascione #cucinapovera #lampascioni #leopoldiacomosa #foraging
Went to some new spots yesterday looking for poke Went to some new spots yesterday looking for poke sallet and didn’t do too well (I’m at the tip of its range). I did see some feral horseradish though which I don’t see very often. 

Just like wild parsnip, this is the exact same plant you see in the store and garden-just escaped. 

During the growing season the leaves can be good when young. 

They have an aggressive taste bitter enough to scare your loved ones. Excellent in a blend of greens cooked until extra soft, preferably with bacon or similar. 

For reference, you don’t harvest the root while the plant is growing as they’ll be soft and unappealing-do that in the spring or fall. This is essentially the same as when people tell you to harvest in months that have an R in them. 

#amoraciarusticana #foraging #horseradishleaves #horseradish #bittergreens
In Italy chicken of the woods is known as “fungo In Italy chicken of the woods is known as “fungo del carrubo” (carob tree mushroom) as it’s one of the common tree hosts there. 

My favorite, and really the only traditional recipe I’ve found for them so far is simmered in a spicy tomato sauce with hot chile and capers, served with grilled bread. 

Here I add herbs too: fresh leaves of bee balm that are perfect for harvesting right now and have a flavor similar to oregano and thyme. 

Makes a really good side dish or app, especially if you shower it with a handful of pecorino before scooping it up with the bread. 

#chickenofthewoods #fungodelcarrubo #allthemushroomtags #traditionalfoods #beebalm
First of the year 😁. White-pored chicken of t First of the year 😁. 

White-pored chicken of the woods (Laetiporus cincinnatus) are my favorite chicken. 

Superior bug resistance, slightly better flavor + texture. They also stay tender longer compared to their more common yellow-pored cousins. Not a single bug in this guy. 

#treemeat #ifoundfood #foraging #laetiporuscincinnatus #chickenofthewoods
TBT brisket face 💦. Staff meal with @jesseroes TBT brisket face 💦. Staff meal with 
@jesseroesler and crew @campwandawega
📸 @misterberndt 

#staffmeal #brisket #meatsweats #naptime
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Privacy

  • Privacy Policy

Affiliate Disclosure

 I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website. Your purchases help keep this website free and help with the many costs involved with this site as it has continued to grow over the years. 

Copyright © 2022 ·