Almond Atole Recipe
(Excerpted from “Eating Up the Santa Fe Trail”)
Mexican workers frequently ate atole, a thin cornmeal gruel. Still well-loved in Mexico, atole is often sweetened with raw sugar and flavored with fresh fruits such as pineapple or strawberries, or seasoned with a sprinkle of chile.
In addition to atole made from masa (Mexican cornmeal), some varieties were based on ground rice, and others on fresh corn. Normally served hot, atole is highly nourishing, and one soon develops a taste for it. Today’s Mexican supermarkets sell packaged atole, frequently flavored with artificial vanilla, strawberry, cinnamon or coconut. Normally, atole is a hearty cornmeal gruel, but the commercial Mexican packaged brands are little more than flavored cornstarch. Atole may be mixed with hot milk in place of the traditional water or broth, and it makes a tasty, sweet, smooth, hot beverage.
Almond atole is a warm and comforting drink to enjoy during the cold winter months. Follow the recipe below to prepare this traditional drink at home this holiday season!
Ingredients:
4 c. milk
1 c. blanched almonds
2 c. water
3 egg yolks
1 c. sugar
3 oz. cornstarch
1 cinnamon stick
Directions:
Grind the blanched almonds in a little milk. This is easily done in a blender. Set aside.
Then, in a medium saucepan, dissolve the cornstarch in the water. Add the cinnamon stick and boil until thickened.
Add the sugar and milk to the thickened cornstarch and continue cooking until it thickens again.
Lightly beat the egg yolks. Then, mix in the ground almonds and beaten egg yolks to the cornstarch mix.
Reheat and let the mixture come to a boil. Remove from heat and serve immediately.