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Helado de Regaliz con Cajeta
This delicious and unusual Mexican dessert recipe combines homemade licorice ice cream with cajeta, which is a Mexican caramel. The following recipe shows you how to make cajeta in a crockpot but you can make it on the stove if you do not have a crockpot. To make it on the stove, simply scald the milk in a pan, and then add the rest of the cajeta ingredients. Simmer it over a moderate to low heat for an hour or until it is like caramel.
The baking soda is important when making cajeta because it stops the milk from coagulating by lowering the pH. If you do not use baking soda, the sauce will thicken but it will not have that authentic caramelization flavor that the baking soda causes.
This Mexican dessert is suitable for any occasion and the pairing of licorice and caramel is something you might not have tried before but it goes so well. This dessert is exotic enough for a dinner party and sweet enough for everyone to love. Leave out the Pernod if you are making this for children.
Licorice Ice Cream with Crockpot Cajeta
Ingredients -
For the Ice Cream:
1 ½ cups milk
6 egg yolks
¾ cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons Pernod liqueur
18 soft black licorice candies, 1 inch long
1 ¼ cups heavy cream
For the Crockpot Cajeta:
4 cups goat's milk or cow's milk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 vanilla bean, halved, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups white sugar
Preparation:
Add the cajeta ingredients to a crockpot and cook on high for 10 hours uncovered.
Stir it and scrape down the sides during the last couple of hours.
Transfer it to wide-mouth jars or another kind of sealed container and keep it in the refrigerator.
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl.
Put the heavy cream, 10 of the licorice candies and the milk in a pan and bring it to a boil.
If the licorice does not melt, puree it with a little hot milk.
Beat some of the hot milk mixture into the eggs and whisk in the remaining hot milk.
Simmer this mixture, without letting it boil, until it gets thick and reaches 165 degrees F on a candy thermometer.
Take the pot off the heat and stir in the vanilla and Pernod.
Strain it through a sieve, and then chill it in the refrigerator.
Freeze it using an ice cream maker.
Divide the ice cream between 4 serving plates and spoon the cajeta over the top.
Decorate with the 8 remaining licorice candies.
(Serves 4)
Photo Description:
This is a nice looking dessert. The licorice candies make the ideal garnish and the sweet flavor of the cajeta goes beautifully with the unusually flavored licorice ice cream. You can serve this dessert after any meal, whether you are serving a Mexican entree or another cuisine. You can make both the ice cream and the cajeta ahead of time so if you are looking for easy make ahead desserts, this one is well worth adding to the shortlist. If you are a fan of licorice, you are going to love this Mexican ice cream recipe. The homemade cajeta is really mouthwatering too.
