Jamoncillo de Pepita Poblano

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Dry comal or heavy skillet
• •Food processor, molino, or metate for grinding pepitas
• •Wide heavy saucepan or copper cazo
• •Wooden spoon
• •8-inch square pan or shallow talavera dish

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the pan

   Grease an 8-inch square pan or shallow talavera dish with the butter. Line the bottom with parchment if you want clean lifting. Have it ready before the sugar goes on the fire. Candy does not wait while you look for a pan.

2. 2

   Warm the pepitas

   Set a dry comal or heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Add the pepitas and stir constantly for 3 to 4 minutes, just until they smell nutty and look slightly glossy. Do not brown them. Burned pepita tastes bitter and gray, and no amount of sugar will rescue it.

   Use raw hulled pepitas, not salted snack pumpkin seeds. The green color and clean flavor come from good pepita, not food coloring.
3. 3

   Grind the pepitas

   Let the pepitas cool for 5 minutes, then grind them in a food processor until they become a fine meal. Stop before they turn into paste. If you have a metate and the patience, use it. Most home cooks will use the processor, and that is acceptable. The point is a fine grind, not a chunky candy.

4. 4

   Cook the milk

   Combine the milk, cinnamon stick, and salt in a small saucepan. Warm over medium-low heat until the milk tastes lightly of canela, about 6 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick. Do not boil the milk hard. Scorched milk gives the whole jamoncillo a dirty flavor.

5. 5

   Make the syrup

   In a wide heavy saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Cook over medium heat, swirling the pan only until the sugar dissolves. Once it bubbles steadily, stop stirring and let it cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until the syrup looks clear and slightly thick. If you use a thermometer, you want about 235F. This is soft-ball territory, the place where fudge begins.

6. 6

   Add milk and pepita

   Lower the heat to medium-low. Carefully pour the warm milk into the syrup. It will bubble up, so use a deep enough pot. Stir with a wooden spoon until smooth, then add the ground pepita in a steady stream. Keep stirring. The mixture will look loose at first, then thicken into a pale green paste.

7. 7

   Beat until thick

   Cook and stir for 15 to 20 minutes, scraping the bottom and corners of the pot. The jamoncillo is ready when the paste pulls away from the bottom in one heavy mass and the spoon leaves a clear trail for two seconds. Add the vanilla in the last minute. This is the test. Not the clock. The pot tells you when it is done.

8. 8

   Set and cut

   Scrape the hot paste into the prepared pan and press it level with a lightly buttered spatula. Let it cool at room temperature for 2 hours, until firm enough to cut. Slice into diamonds or small squares. Puebla's dulcerias often make these pieces small because the candy is rich. One good bite is better than a slab that tires the mouth. Así se hace y punto.

Chef Tips

• •Buy pepitas from a market stall with turnover. They should smell clean and nutty, never rancid. Pepita carries oil, and old oil ruins candy fast. Si no conoces el mercado, no conoces la cocina.
• •Do not add green food coloring. Good pepita gives a quiet pale green. If your jamoncillo looks radioactive, the cook was hiding something.
• •A copper cazo gives excellent heat control for this kind of candy, but a heavy stainless saucepan works. Thin aluminum will scorch the milk and punish you.
• •If the jamoncillo stays too soft after cooling, it was undercooked. You can return it to the pot with 2 tablespoons of milk and cook it again until it pulls cleanly from the bottom.

Advance Preparation

• •Jamoncillo can be made 2 days ahead and kept tightly covered at room temperature in a cool kitchen.
• •Cut pieces keep for about 1 week in an airtight tin with parchment between layers. Do not refrigerate unless your kitchen is very hot, because cold air can make the sugar sweat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 33g)