Alegrías de Amaranto de Tulyehualco

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •9 by 13 inch metal pan or shallow wooden candy frame
• •Parchment paper or waxed paper
• •Heavy saucepan for piloncillo syrup
• •Wooden spoon
• •Candy thermometer, optional but useful
• •Flat board, second pan, or rolling pin for pressing

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the mold

   Lightly oil a 9 by 13 inch metal pan or shallow wooden frame and line it with parchment or waxed paper. Oil the paper lightly too. Mix the peanuts, pepitas, and raisins in a small bowl, then scatter about one-third of them across the bottom of the pan. Have the popped amaranth waiting in a very large bowl. Once the piloncillo syrup is ready, you will not have time to go looking for a pan.

   Tulyehualco workshops use frames because the candy must be pressed evenly. A baking pan works at home, but it has to be ready before the syrup reaches its point.
2. 2

   Check the amaranth

   Run your fingers through the amaranto reventado and remove any hard, dark, unpopped seeds. If the amaranth smells stale, warm it in a dry skillet over low heat for two minutes, stirring constantly, just until it smells nutty again. Do not brown it. Popped amaranth burns fast because it is almost weightless.

3. 3

   Make piloncillo honey

   Put the chopped piloncillo, water, honey, lime juice, and salt in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the piloncillo dissolves. Once it dissolves, stop stirring and let it boil steadily until it reaches 238 to 240F on a candy thermometer. Without a thermometer, drop a little syrup into cold water. It should gather into a soft ball you can pinch between your fingers. That is the point. Not watery. Not burned. Así se hace y punto.

   The lime juice helps keep the piloncillo from turning grainy. Use a little, not enough to make the candy taste like lime.
4. 4

   Coat the amaranth

   Immediately pour the hot piloncillo honey over the amaranth. Stir with a strong wooden spoon, folding from the bottom up, until every seed has a light amber shine. Work quickly but do not crush the amaranth. Add half of the remaining peanuts, pepitas, and raisins while mixing so the fruit and seeds land throughout the bar, not only on top.

5. 5

   Press the bars

   Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan. Cover with a second sheet of lightly oiled parchment and press hard with a flat board, the bottom of another pan, or an oiled rolling pin. Sprinkle the remaining peanuts, pepitas, and raisins over the top, cover again, and press once more. Pressing is not decoration. It is what makes the alegría hold together when you cut it.

   If the mixture sticks to the paper, rub the paper with a little more neutral oil. Do not add water. Water makes the candy soften and fall apart.
6. 6

   Set and cut

   Let the slab rest at room temperature for 90 minutes, until firm and dry to the touch. Lift it from the pan and cut into 16 rectangles with a lightly oiled knife. Wipe and oil the knife between cuts if the piloncillo pulls. The bars should be firm enough to hold in your hand, with a clean chew from the honey and a toasted snap from the amaranth.

7. 7

   Wrap and store

   Wrap the alegrías in waxed paper or cellophane once completely cool. Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. Humidity is the enemy. Tulyehualco producers know this because one damp day can undo a good batch. Recetas probadas y garantizadas, but only if you respect the weather.

Chef Tips

• •Buy amaranto reventado from a Mexican mercado if you can, and if you are in Ciudad de México, ask for Tulyehualco. The seed should smell clean and toasted, not dusty. Si no conoces el mercado, no conoces la cocina.
• •Piloncillo is not brown sugar in a costume. It has a mineral, cane-deep flavor that makes this candy taste like the market. If you cannot find it, use panela or dark muscovado, but understand what that is: a compromise, not an upgrade.
• •The honey is a helper, not the main sweetener. Too much honey makes the bars sticky and soft. Tulyehualco alegría is held by piloncillo honey, not drowned in bee honey.
• •If you start with raw amaranth seed, pop it one tablespoon at a time in a very hot dry pot with a lid, shaking constantly. If the pot is too cool, the seed toasts instead of popping. If it is too hot, it burns in seconds. No me vengas con atajos.
• •Do not add chile piquín, cocoa powder, colored sprinkles, or marshmallows to this version. There are modern sweets made with all kinds of additions. This one is the piloncillo bar a Tulyehualco señora would recognize.

Advance Preparation

• •The peanuts and pepitas can be toasted up to one week ahead and kept in a sealed jar.
• •Do not make the piloncillo syrup ahead. It must be hot and fluid when it hits the amaranth.
• •Finished alegrías keep for about one week in an airtight container at room temperature. In humid weather, wrap each bar individually the same day you make them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 47g)