Ponche Navideño
                               (Christmas Punch)
                                                               

Ingredients:
20-25 cups water
1 cup white sugar (I used raw sugar)
1/2 pound piloncillo or dark brown sugar
1 1/2 pound of peeled sugar cane, peeled and cut into 1/4" julienne
2 large apples, cored and chopped coarsely
2 pears, cored and chopped coarsely (preferaly Anjou but regular is fine)
1/2 pound guavas, coarsely chopped
2 pounds tejocotes
2 oranges, peeled and cut into quarters
zest cut from one orange
1 small pineapple, peeled, cored and sliced into rings or cut into chunks
4 or 5 3" cinnamon sticks
4 or 5 whole cloves (pushed into one orange)
8 oz. walnuts
20 jamaica flowers (hibiscus flower)
You could also add:
1 lb pitted prunes
1 pint brandy or rum (preferaly gold rum)
2 cups raisins
6 oz almonds
2 tamarind pods
Be creative. Add anything else that sounds good to you.

Directions:
Soak the tejocotes in hot water for about an hour.
Bring the 20-25 cups of water to a boil in a very large pot, then reduce to a slow simmer.
Add Pilloncillo (or dark brown sugar)
Add white sugar (or raw sugar)
Remove tejocotes from the soaking water and discard the water.
Remove the skins from tejocotes.
Add the tejocotes to the simmering water.
Cut the guavas into quarters, and add them in.
Chop or slice the sugar cane into chunks (remove the outer skin if it has it) and add them in.
Add in the remaining ingredients and simmer for 1 hour.
Remove cinnamon sticks before serving.
Mix in 1-2 oz of rum (or brandy) per serving. Or you can add the entire pint to the batch before serving.
Serve hot. Laddle a little of the stewed fruit into each mug before adding punch liquid.

*If there are any leftovers, you can strain out the fruit so only ponche is left. keep the ponche chilled in the refrigerator for later use. Also keep the tejocotes in the refrigerator for later use as garnish with chunk of sugar cane.
Put ponche, rum (or brandy) in a shaker with ice. Shake, strain and serve in a martini glass with the tejocote and sugar cane on a skewer for garnish as you would an olive.
-Susie