While there are countless ways to celebrate the season, there seems to be a general consensus that sweetened milk, enriched by egg yolks, and spiked with spirit, preferably bottled, is a good idea.
Eggnog may have originated in England, but Mexican convents have perfected it as rompope, Cubans have their own sugary version called crema de vie, and Puerto Ricans took the usual blend and infused it with coconut to make coquitos. Though simple enough to make with canned or creamed coconut, there’s a unique satisfaction to cracking open your own coconut, grating the meat, blending in the rum and extracting the flavor directly from the source. Creamy and sweet, the coconut adds a smoothness that sets it apart from heavier custard-in-a-glass alternatives and brings a taste of island life to the holidays. In Puerto Rico, where the parties and observances start early and can continue well into January, there’s always an excuse for just one more.
Coquito/Puerto Rican Eggnog
Makes 5-6 cups
This recipe calls for freshly grated coconut blended with rum to extract the milk. For a nonalcoholic version, add 1 1/2 cups of hot water instead of rum to the grated coconut and proceed as directed. For a milder flavor, omit the grated coconut and substitute 2 cups of canned coconut milk, blend with remaining ingredients, then stir in the rum to taste.
2 large whole dried coconuts*
1 1/2 cups light rum (or more to taste)
2 egg yolks
1 (13.5 oz.) can condensed milk
1 (15 oz.) can evaporated milk
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
*Choose a coconut that’s heavy for its size. The “eyes,” or the three black spots at the stem of the coconut, should be free of mold, and you should be able to hear the liquid inside the coconut when you shake it.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Using a corkscrew, open the holes in the coconut’s “eyes.” Invert the coconut over a bowl or measuring cup and drain. Reserve the coconut water for another use.
Place the coconuts in the oven for about 10-15 minutes. Carefully remove from oven. Set the coconuts over a dish towel and tap with a hammer or the blunt edge of a knife at its widest point until a fissure opens that will allow you to crack the coconut into large pieces. Use a heavy spoon to scoop out the coconut meat from the hard outer shell. If you’re having trouble cracking the coconut or separating it from its shell, return the coconut to the oven for an additional 5 minutes, then try again. Peel the brown outer layer and chop roughly into large cubes.
Combine about 2 cups of the cubed coconut and the rum in a blender. Pulse on high speed until well combined, about 30 seconds at a time. Strain over cheesecloth into a large bowl or measuring cup, extracting as much liquid as possible. Discard the shredded coconut. Add the extracted liquid to the blender and repeat with the remaining coconut, working in batches. You should have 2-3 cups of coconut milk.
Combine the extracted coconut milk (or canned coconut milk, if using), egg yolks, condensed milk, evaporated milk, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, and blend on high speed until frothy. Stir in additional rum to taste (optional). Refrigerate until well chilled. Pour into cold glasses and sprinkle with nutmeg or cinnamon.
Ana Sofia Peláez covers the spectrum of Spanish and Latin American cuisine on her blog hungrysofia.com. From the rich smells and flavors of the Cuban food she grew up with to modern Peruvian causas, hearty Brazilian feijodas and delicate Mexican flor de calabaza soup, she’s always looking for her next great meal.
More Holiday Drinks on Cooking Channel:
- Prosecco Gold Rush Cocktail
- Peppermint Hot Chocolate
- Mulled Cider
- Jamie Oliver’s Christmas Spirits Cocktail
Links…
[...]Sites of interest we have a link to[...]……
Websites worth visiting…
[...]here are some links to sites that we link to because we think they are worth visiting[...]……
Related……
[...]just beneath, are numerous totally not related sites to ours, however, they are surely worth going over[...]……
Read was interesting, stay in touch……
[...]please visit the sites we follow, including this one, as it represents our picks from the web[...]……
Online Article……
[...]The information mentioned in the article are useful [...]……
Websites worth visiting…
[...]here are some links to sites that we link to because we think they are worth visiting[...]……
Recommeneded websites…
[...]Here are some of the sites we recommend for our visitors[...]……
Great website…
[...]we like to honor many other articles, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Under are some of them worthed to try[...]……
You should check this out…
[...] Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a few unrelated data, nevertheless really worth taking a look, whoa did one learn about Mid East has got more problerms as well [...]……
Its hard to find good help…
I am regularly saying that its difficult to find quality help, but here is…
Norwich Plumbers…
[...]RJL Plumbing Services, 37 Bury St, Norwich, Norfolk, NR2 2DJ, United Kingdom, 07810548180[...]……
Sources…
[...]check below, are some totally unrelated websites to ours, however, they are most trustworthy sources that we use[...]……
Links…
[...]Sites of interest we have a link to[...]……
Recent Blogroll Additions……
[...]usually posts some very interesting stuff like this. If you’re new to this site[...]……
Tumblr article…
I saw a writer talking about this on Tumblr and it linked to…
Check this out…
[...] that is the end of this article. Here you’ll find some sites that we think you’ll appreciate, just click the links over[...]……
Great website…
[...]we like to honor many other internet sites on the web, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Under are some webpages worth checking out[...]……
Online Article……
[...]The information mentioned in the article are some of the best available [...]……
Related……
[...]just beneath, are numerous totally not related sites to ours, however, they are surely worth going over[...]……
Websites worth visiting…
[...]here are some links to sites that we link to because we think they are worth visiting[...]……
Related……
[...]just beneath, are numerous totally not related sites to ours, however, they are surely worth going over[...]……
Great website…
[...]we like to honor many other articles, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Under are some webpages worth checking out[...]……
Sites we Like……
[...] Every once in a while we choose blogs that we read. Listed below are the latest sites that we choose [...]……
Visitor recommendations…
[...]one of our visitors recently recommended the following website[...]……
Websites you should visit…
[...]below you’ll find the link to some sites that we think you should visit[...]……
Websites we think you should visit…
[...]although websites we backlink to below are considerably not related to ours, we feel they are actually worth a go through, so have a look[...]……
Cool sites…
[...]we came across a cool site that you might enjoy. Take a look if you want[...]……
Links…
[...]Sites of interest we have a link to[...]……
Informative and precise…
Its hard to find informative and precise info but here I noted…
Websites worth visiting…
[...]here are some links to sites that we link to because we think they are worth visiting[...]……
Websites you should visit…
[...]below you’ll find the link to some sites that we think you should visit[...]……
Blogs ou should be reading…
[...]Here is a Great Blog You Might Find useful that we Encourage You to visit[...]……
Great website…
[...]we like to honor many other internet sites on the web, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Under are some webpages worth checking out[...]……
Websites worth visiting…
[...]here are some links to sites that we link to because we think they are worth visiting[...]……
Awesome website…
[...]the time to read or visit the content or sites we have linked to below the[...]……
You should check this out…
[...] Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a few unrelated data, nevertheless really worth taking a look, whoa did one learn about Mid East has got more problerms as well [...]……
Great website…
[...]we like to honor many other internet sites on the web, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Under are some webpages worth checking out[...]……
Blogs ou should be reading…
[...]Here is a nice website You could Find useful that we Encourage You to visit[...]……
News info…
I was reading the news and I saw this really cool topic…
Its hard to find good help…
I am regularly proclaiming that its difficult to find quality help, but here is…
Blogs ou should be reading…
[...]Here is a Great post You could Find Interesting that we Encourage You to see[...]……
Websites worth visiting…
[...]here are some links to sites that we link to because we think they are worth visiting[...]……
Sources…
[...]check below, are some totally unrelated websites to ours, however, they are most trustworthy sources that we use[...]……
Gems form the internet…
[...]very few websites that happen to be detailed below, from our point of view are undoubtedly well worth checking out[...]……
hello…
This is the perfect website for anybody who really wants to find out about this topic. You understand so much its almost hard to argue with you (not that I personally will need to…HaHa). You certainly put a fresh spin on a topic which has been discus…
Cool sites…
[...]we came across a cool site that you might enjoy. Take a look if you want[...]……
Online Article……
[...]The information mentioned in the article are some of the best available [...]……
Sites we Like……
[...] Every once in a while we choose blogs that we read. Listed below are the latest sites that we choose [...]……
Looking around…
While I was browsing today I noticed a excellent post about…
Online Article……
[...]The information mentioned in the article are some of the best available [...]……