Ingredients
Fruit and syrup
- 500 g fresh tejocotes
- 4 cups water for loosening the skins; discard after boiling
- 2 cups fresh water for the syrup
- 200 g piloncillo chopped
- 1 3-inch stick cinnamon
Equipment
- 1 Medium saucepan
- 1 Colander
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Small paring knife and cutting board
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Kitchen scale
- 1 Measuring jug
Instructions
Prepare and simmer
- Rinse the tejocotes under cool running water and discard any damaged or moldy fruit.
- Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the fruit and boil gently for 3–5 minutes, until the skins loosen. Drain, discard this water, and cool until safe to handle.
- Peel the fruit with a small knife, halve, and remove all hard seeds and tough central pieces. Discard skins and seeds; do not eat or grind the seeds.
- In the saucepan, combine the 2 cups fresh water, chopped piloncillo, and cinnamon stick. Heat gently, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.
- Add the prepared fruit and simmer gently, partly uncovered, for 20–25 minutes, until tender and the syrup lightly coats a spoon. Turn the fruit gently rather than stirring vigorously. Remove the cinnamon stick.
- Cool for about 20 minutes before serving warm, or refrigerate promptly in a covered container to serve chilled. Divide among six small bowls with a little syrup.
Video
Notes
Estimated cost: USD $5.50 for the whole recipe, about $0.92 per small serving. Portion-based estimate: tejocotes $4.00, piloncillo $1.00, cinnamon $0.45, water $0.05. Seasonal and local prices vary. Remove and discard every hard seed. Refrigerate promptly and use within 3–4 days; this is not a shelf-stable canning recipe.
Video: ELO Cocina Veracruzana, originally uploaded 2021-11-22T10:55:37-08:00, in Spanish. This smaller batch uses piloncillo without extra white sugar or vanilla and serves the fruit halved and seeded rather than on toothpicks.
