Lucky Penny Farm has two sister companies: Lucky Penny Creamery, a state licensed dairy processing facility in Kent, Ohio; and Lucky Penny Candy, a specialty manufacturer of confections made from goat milk located at the creamery. The Lucky Penny Candy product “Cajeta,” a goat milk caramel sauce, was the American Dairy Goats Association’s 2nd place winner in the National ADGA Amateur Confection category in October 2008. A goat milk BBQ sauce is also in development based from same sweet, smoky and delicious ingredients. Cajeta is similar to Dulce de leche, a Spanish term for “in a milk-based sauce.” Found as both a syrup and a caramel candy, it is prepared by slowly heating sweetened goat milk to create a product that is the basis for the elaboration of many sweets and desserts of the Argentinean, Colombian, Paraguayan, Chilean, Peruvian and Uruguayan cuisines.
The basic recipe calls for slowly simmering milk and sugar, stirring almost constantly. Much of the water in the milk evaporates and the mix thickens. The resulting caramel sauce is usually about a sixth of the volume of the original milk used. The transformation that occurs is called caramelization, scientifically described as the Maillard Reaction, a chemical reaction responsible for browning and flavoring. Smoky and delicious, it is a perfect addition to ice cream, cheese plates or breakfast toast.
