Ponche crema

Ingredients

Custard base

• 8egg yolks
• 400 mlevaporated milk
• 1 tspvanilla extract
• pared zest of 1 lime, in wide strips
• 1small pinch fine salt

To finish

• 1 tin(395 g) sweetened condensed milk
• 350 mlaged Venezuelan rum (37.5% abv or higher)
• ¼ tspfreshly grated nutmeg

To serve

• crushed ice
• extra nutmeg for grating

Directions

1. Warm the evaporated milk with the lime zest in a heavy saucepan over low heat until it just steams, then take it off and let the zest infuse for 10 minutes; do not let it boil or the milk will catch.
2. Whisk the yolks with the salt in a bowl for 3 to 4 minutes, until they lighten to pale gold and fall from the whisk in a thick ribbon.
3. Lift out the zest strips, then pour the hot milk into the yolks in a thin stream while whisking hard, so the eggs temper instead of scrambling.
4. Return everything to the pan over the lowest heat and stir constantly with a wooden spoon for 8 to 10 minutes, until the custard reaches 82°C (180°F) and coats the back of the spoon so a drawn finger leaves a clean line.
5. Strain the custard through a fine sieve into a cold bowl, stir in the vanilla, and cool it to room temperature, stirring now and then to stop a skin forming.
6. Beat in the condensed milk until completely smooth, then add the rum in three additions, whisking between each so the liqueur emulsifies rather than splits.
7. Grate in the nutmeg, funnel into sterilised bottles, seal and refrigerate for at least 3 days so the alcohol rounds out and the spice marries; a week is better.
8. Shake the bottle hard and pour into small chilled glasses over crushed ice, with a fresh grating of nutmeg over the top.

Technique

• The rum is the preservative, not a flavouring: keep it above roughly a fifth of the final volume or the eggs are not protected. Cooked to 82°C (180°F) and kept cold, it holds a month in the fridge.
• Venezuelan families argue about cooking the yolks at all; the 1900 Caracas original by Eliodoro Gonzalez P. is pasteurised, and the cooked custard route is the only safe one at home.
• It thickens in the bottle. If it sets too heavy, loosen it with a splash of milk rather than more rum, which would thin the texture and push the drink out of balance.

Substitutions

• No evaporated milk: reduce 600 ml whole milk to 400 ml over low heat first, then proceed. Panela syrup can replace part of the condensed milk for a darker, more rustic ponche.

Variations

• Ponche de coco, the Margarita island version, swaps half the evaporated milk for thick coconut milk.
• Some Andean households add a spoon of dark rum-soaked raisins to the bottle before resting.

History

Created in 1900 by Eliodoro González Polanco in Caracas; the bottled version has been a December fixture ever since.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ponche crema?

Ponche crema is a wine & spirit from Venezuela: thick eggnog-style liqueur of rum, eggs and milk, poured at Christmas. Created in 1900 by Eliodoro González Polanco in Caracas; the bottled version has been a December fixture ever since.

How long does Ponche crema take to make?

Ponche crema takes 20 min of preparation and 20 min cooking plus 3 days resting of cooking. The recipe makes 1.4 litres (about 14 small glasses). It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Ponche crema?

Yes, within limits. No evaporated milk: reduce 600 ml whole milk to 400 ml over low heat first, then proceed. Panela syrup can replace part of the condensed milk for a darker, more rustic ponche.

What is the most important thing to get right in Ponche crema?

Warm the evaporated milk with the lime zest in a heavy saucepan over low heat until it just steams, then take it off and let the zest infuse for 10 minutes; do not let it boil or the milk will catch.