Ponche Navideño del Altiplano Central

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large 6 to 8-quart clay olla or heavy stockpot
• •Small knife for peeling tejocotes
• •Long wooden spoon
• •Clay jarritos or thick heatproof mugs

Instructions

1. 1

   Blanch the tejocotes

   Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the tejocotes and cook for 5 minutes, just until the skins wrinkle. Drain them, cool until you can handle them, then peel off the skins with your fingers or a small knife. The fruit should stay whole. This is the work that makes ponche pleasant to drink instead of a fight with tough skins.

2. 2

   Build the base

   In a large olla or heavy stockpot, combine 12 cups water, piloncillo, canela, rinsed jamaica, and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and stir until the piloncillo dissolves. The liquid will turn deep red-brown from the jamaica and smell like canela and dark sugar. That is the base, not a packet, not a concentrate.

3. 3

   Add firm fruit

   Add the peeled tejocotes, apple wedges, pear wedges, and sugarcane sticks. Lower the heat so the pot simmers gently. Cook for 25 minutes, until the tejocotes are tender when pierced with a small knife and the apples have softened without collapsing. The sugarcane is there to chew at the end. Every child at the posada knows this.

4. 4

   Add soft fruit

   Stir in the guavas, prunes, raisins, and orange slices. Simmer 20 minutes more. Add the guavas later because ripe guava falls apart if you punish it for an hour. You want the perfume in the liquid and pieces of fruit still visible in the cup.

5. 5

   Rest and taste

   Turn off the heat and let the ponche rest 10 minutes. Taste the liquid. If your fruit was very tart, add another small piece of piloncillo and simmer 5 minutes to dissolve it. If it tastes flat, add a pinch more salt. Salt does not make it salty. It makes the fruit speak.

6. 6

   Serve in jarritos

   Ladle the hot ponche into clay jarritos or thick mugs, making sure every serving gets fruit and at least one piece of sugarcane. Add a small splash of rum or brandy to the adult cups only, if using. Do not boil the alcohol in the pot unless you want the flavor to disappear. Serve with spoons. Ponche is a drink and a fruit dessert in the same cup. Así se hace y punto.

Chef Tips

• •Buy tejocotes in December at a Mexican mercado if you can. In the United States, look for them fresh in Latin markets around Christmas, or jarred in syrup if that is all you can find. Jarred tejocote is a compromise, not an upgrade. Rinse it and reduce the piloncillo because it is already sweet.
• •Use true Mexican canela, the soft, flaky cinnamon from Ceylon, not hard cassia sticks that taste harsh after a long simmer. At La Merced, the spice vendors know the difference. Pregúntale a las señoras del mercado.
• •Fresh sugarcane matters for the table. It flavors the ponche and gives people something to chew after the cup is empty. If you cannot find it, leave it out before you use canned syrupy pieces that make the pot taste like candy.
• •Jamaica gives this version its ruby depth and gentle tartness. Some central Mexican houses leave it out and make a lighter brown ponche. Both exist. Cada estado, su propia cocina, and every family defends its pot.

Advance Preparation

• •Ponche can be made one day ahead without the alcohol. Cool it, refrigerate it, and reheat gently before serving. The fruit will soften more overnight and the liquid will deepen.
• •Blanch and peel the tejocotes up to one day ahead. Keep them refrigerated in a covered container until the pot is ready.
• •If serving with rum or brandy, add it to each cup at the table, not to the whole pot. Children and adults drink from the same olla during posadas. The piquete is separate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 350g)