Rompope Poblano

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 3-quart saucepan
• •Wooden spoon
• •Whisk
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Clean glass bottles with tight caps
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Infuse the milk

   Combine the milk, sugar, canela, baking soda, and ground almonds if using in a heavy saucepan. Set over medium-low heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Let it come to a bare simmer, then cook for 15 minutes, stirring often. The milk should smell of canela and look slightly more concentrated. Do not let it boil hard. Milk that scorches at the bottom will mark the whole batch.

2. 2

   Prepare the yolks

   Whisk the egg yolks in a heatproof bowl until smooth and thick. Set a fine-mesh strainer nearby. This is the step where careless cooks ruin rompope. The yolks need heat, but slowly. No me vengas con atajos.

   Use only yolks. Whole eggs make the drink thinner and give it a cooked-egg smell. Puebla's rompope should be rich, yellow, and smooth.
3. 3

   Temper the yolks

   Remove the saucepan from the heat. Ladle about 1/2 cup of the hot milk into the yolks while whisking constantly. Add another 1/2 cup the same way. This raises the yolks gently so they join the milk instead of turning into curds. That is the whole discipline of this drink.

4. 4

   Cook the custard

   Pour the tempered yolks back into the saucepan, whisking as you pour. Return to low heat and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 8 to 10 minutes. The rompope should thicken enough to coat the back of the spoon and reach 160F for safety. Do not boil it after the yolks go in. Boiled yolks turn grainy. Así se hace y punto.

5. 5

   Strain and flavor

   Remove the canela stick. Strain the hot rompope through the fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl or pitcher. Stir in the vanilla while the custard is still warm, then let it cool until no longer hot to the touch. Add the rum only after cooling, so the alcohol stays where it belongs.

6. 6

   Chill and serve

   Pour the rompope into clean glass bottles and refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Shake before serving. Pour into small cold glasses, not tumblers. This is sweet, rich, and strong enough to be respected. Serve it after Christmas dinner, with Puebla sweets or nothing at all.

Chef Tips

• •Buy soft Mexican canela, not hard cassia sticks if you can avoid them. Canela breaks easily and gives a warmer, cleaner perfume. Ask the spice vendor, pregúntale a las señoras del mercado.
• •Use real vanilla. Papantla vanilla from Veracruz is the right perfume here. Artificial vanilla makes rompope taste like cheap candy, and the yolks deserve better.
• •Rum is traditional in many home versions, but aguardiente de cana also belongs to the old vocabulary of the drink. Brandy appears in some families. Use one clean spirit, not three.
• •The almonds are optional. Some Puebla versions use them for body, some do not. If you use them, grind them very fine or the strainer will take most of them back.

Advance Preparation

• •Rompope should be made at least one day ahead so the canela, vanilla, yolks, and rum settle into each other.
• •Keep refrigerated and use within 5 days. Shake the bottle before pouring because a little settling is normal.
• •For a thicker holiday version, cook the custard one or two minutes longer over low heat, but do not let it boil.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 125g)