Destination
Cuenca
The story
Ponche quiteño is Quito's Christmas Eve drink: egg yolks whipped with sugar into a pale foam, mounted with hot milk that's been infused with cinnamon and cloves, and (crucially) topped with a shot of aguardiente or rum per glass. Served hot in small cups on 24 December, alongside a plate of pristiños (Christmas fritters) and a warm slice of pan de pascua. Cold, dry Andean-night warmer; genuinely comforting; not for the tee-total.
Method
Warm the milk in a saucepan with the cinnamon stick, cloves and citrus peel until steaming (don't boil). Take off the heat and leave to infuse 10 minutes. Strain and return to the pan.
Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water (the water shouldn't touch the bottom of the bowl).
Add the egg yolks, sugar and salt to the bowl. Whisk continuously by hand over the heat for 4 to 5 minutes, until the mixture is pale, thick, tripled in volume and warm to the touch (about 65°C on a thermometer).
Just before the yolks are done, gently warm the strained infused milk again until hot but not boiling.
Take the yolk bowl off the heat. Slowly drizzle the hot milk into the yolks in a thin stream, whisking continuously, so the mixture stays foamy and doesn't scramble. Add the vanilla with the last of the milk.
Divide the aguardiente (or rum) between 4 warm cups (about 25ml per cup). Pour the hot ponche over. Dust the tops with ground cinnamon. Serve immediately.
Tips
- Whip the yolks over gentle heat. The bain-marie method both cooks the eggs (making the drink food-safe) and whips them into a foam. Don't skip the bain-marie step.
- Drizzle milk slowly, whisk constantly. Pouring the hot milk in too fast will scramble the eggs. A thin stream and continuous whisking is what keeps the mixture smooth and foamy.
- Aguardiente goes in cold, at the end. Adding it to the pan cooks off the alcohol and dulls the drink. Pour into the cup first, then top with the hot ponche.
- Serve immediately. Ponche loses its foam within a few minutes of pouring. Whip, mount, spike and serve straight; don't try to hold it.
- Adjust the alcohol to your table. 25ml per cup gives you a warming but manageable drink; up to 40ml if you like it stronger. Zero for kids (the drink is still delicious as a hot foamy custard).
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