Rosarios Rumpope Ecuadorian Holiday Eggnog Food

ROMPOPE (MEXICAN EGGNOG)

Steps:

• Combine milk, sugar, and cinnamon sticks in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over low heat. Continue to boil mixture, stirring constantly, until milk has reduced by a little more than 1/3, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
• Beat egg yolks with an electric mixer until thick and pale. Mix in a little of the warm milk. Pour egg yolk mixture into the saucepan and bring to a boil over low heat. Stir constantly and scrape bottom and sides of saucepan until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat, fish out cinnamon sticks, and cool to lukewarm. Stir in rum and cool completely, about 2 hours.

ROMPOPE (MEXICAN MILK, EGG, SPICE, AND LIQUOR PUNCH)

Steps:

• Pulse almonds with 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a food processor until ground to a fine paste.
• Bring milk, cinnamon, lemon rind, vanilla, and baking soda to a boil over medium-high heat in a large heavy-bottom saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks, the remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar, and ground almonds until thick and pale. Remove cinnamon and lemon rind and discard. Whisking constantly, slowly add the milk to the yolk mixture.
• Return mixture to pan and cook over low heat, constantly stirring and scraping the bottom and sides of the pan, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside to cool completely, about 2 hours.
• Stir in rum or aguardiente. Serve.

ROMPOPE

Steps:

• Combine the milk, sugar, nutmeg, baking soda, allspice and cinnamon in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally and checking to make sure the milk doesn't boil over, until the mixture is slightly reduced and the flavors come together, about 30 minutes.
• Whisk the egg yolks by hand in a large stainless steel or heatproof bowl until well combined. Slowly pour in the milk mixture, whisking. Return the mixture to the saucepan over medium heat. Add the almond extract and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until the mixture comes to a boil and starts to thicken, 6 to 8 minutes. Turn off the heat, immediately add the rum or brandy and stir to combine.
• Remove the pan from the heat, discard the cinnamon stick and allspice berries and let cool at room temperature. Refrigerate until chilled. Serve over ice.

HOLIDAY EGGNOG

Steps:

• For the mulled cider: Combine the peppercorns, star anise, allspice, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom in a large stockpot over medium heat. Toast the spices until aromatic, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour in the cider, carrot juice, ginger juice, sugar, orange zest, nutmeg and kosher salt. Reduce the heat to low and let the mixture sit uncovered until the cider is aromatic and the spices are well infused, 1 to 2 hours. Strain the cider through a fine sieve or cheesecloth; discard the solids. (The cider can be made in advance and reheated prior to serving.)
• For the eggnog batter: Separate the whites and yolks of the eggs into 2 medium size mixing bowls. Whip the yolks with the nutmeg, cinnamon, rum and salt. Gradually add 1/4 cup of the sugar. Mix until the texture is silky and the sugar is fully incorporated. Set aside.
• Whip the egg whites on medium-high speed, gradually incorporating the remaining 1/8 cup of sugar. Whip until stiff peaks form.
• Gently fold the egg white mixture into the yolk mixture. This batter has a lifespan of about one evening. Be sure to use fresh eggs as these will be served in a raw state.
• To assemble the holiday eggnog: For each drink, mix together 4 ounces of the hot mulled cider, 2 ounces of the eggnog batter, 1 ounce of the rum and 1/2 ounce of the brandy in a heat-treated glass or mug. Garnish with grated nutmeg.