Rompope Recipe
- 2/3 cup blanched almonds
- 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
- 6 cups whole milk
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- Rind of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 8 large egg yolks
- 1 cup white rum or aguardiente
- Remove the lemon rind with a vegetable peeler, being careful to avoid the white pith, which will impart a bitter flavor.
- Aguardiente literally means “burning water” in Spanish. It is a strong (29% or higher) spirit distilled from fruits, grains, and commonly sugarcane. It's available at most liquor stores.
- 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.
