Mexican Caramel Sundaes Recipes

CAJETA (MEXICAN CARAMEL SAUCE)

Steps:

• Stir together the milk and sugar in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. (Make sure the liquid only goes three fourths the way up the sides, as it will froth when the baking soda is added.) Add the cinnamon stick, salt, vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds plus the empty vanilla bean pods. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat while constantly stirring. This will take about 15 minutes. DO NOT take your eyes off the pot. It boils over easily and quickly!
• When the milk comes to a boil, quickly remove from heat and add baking soda to the pot. The mixture will rise and get frothy, just keep stirring the mixture.
• Place the pot back on the stove over medium heat, and stir frequently, about every 10 minutes or so. Make sure the milk stays at a gentle simmer rather than a raging boil, and stir across the bottom of the pot to make sure the mixture is not scorching. Adjust heat as needed.
• After about an hour and a half, the milk should start to turn golden brown. Remove the cinnamon stick and the vanilla pod. At this point, it will start to thicken fast, so it's important to keep stirring so the milk doesn't burn on the bottom of the pan.
• Keep stirring until the mixture is a rich brown and thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, this will happen after about 15 to 30 minutes. Allow the sauce to cool slightly and then pour into airtight containers. The mixture will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

MEXICAN CARAMEL SUNDAES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a small saucepan, warm caramel sauce over low heat and season with cayenne pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Place tortillas on a cookie sheet and brush liberally with melted butter. Sprinkle each tortilla with sugar and a pinch of cinnamon and bake until crispy and sugar has melted on the tortillas, 5 minutes. Remove tortillas from oven, let cool to harden and break into large, uneven pieces. Arrange the pieces of 1 tortilla in a sundae dish or on a dessert plate. Top with 2 large scoops ice cream. Drizzle the warm caramel sauce over each sundae using a spatula or wooden spoon. Top each sundae with whipped cream swirls and Spanish peanuts.

MEXICAN ICE CREAM SUNDAES

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Fry tortilla wedges, a few at a time, for 1-2 minutes on each side or until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Combine the sugar and cinnamon; set aside 1 tablespoon. Sprinkle both sides of tortillas with remaining cinnamon-sugar., In a shallow bowl, combine the cornflake crumbs and reserved cinnamon-sugar. Roll ice cream in crumb mixture to coat. Freeze until serving., Drizzle serving plates with chocolate syrup if desired. Place six tortilla wedges on each plate; top each with a scoop of ice cream. Pipe whipped cream around base and on top of ice cream. Garnish each with a cherry.

MEXICAN ICE CREAM SUNDAES WITH CINNAMON CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Spread coconut on a rimmed baking sheet; toast, tossing occasionally, until brown and fragrant, about 10 minutes (store at room temperature up to 1 day).
• In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring cream to a boil; remove from heat.
• Add chocolate, cinnamon and salt.
• Let stand 1-2 minutes.
• Whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is shiny (cover and refrigerate up to 2 days; before serving, reheat in double boiler or the microwave).
• Remove ice cream from freezer 15 minutes before serving.
• Scoop into bowls; top with warm sauce, peanuts and coconut.

CARAMEL PECAN SUNDAES

Steps:

• For the caramel, mix 1/3 cup water and the sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook, without stirring, over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium and boil uncovered until the sugar turns a warm chestnut brown (about 350 degrees on a candy thermometer), 5 to 7 minutes, gently swirling the pan to stir the mixture. Be careful; the mixture is extremely hot! Watch the mixture constantly at the end, as it will go from caramel to burnt very quickly. Turn off the heat. Stand back to avoid splattering and slowly add the cream and vanilla. The cream will bubble violently and the caramel will solidify; don't worry. Simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until the caramel dissolves and the sauce is smooth, about 2 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature, at least 4 hours. It will thicken as it sits. To assemble the sundaes, place one scoop of vanilla ice cream and one scoop of butter pecan ice cream in each dish and sprinkle with toasted pecans. Drizzle with caramel sauce and serve extra sauce on the side.