El Batido de Trigo y Mamey
El Desayuno y La Merienda: Mornings & The Afternoon Respite
At four in the afternoon in a Cuban household, the blender motor whines, meaning only one thing: La Merienda has arrived. A proper batido relies entirely on the alchemy of whole milk, a shameless pour of sweetened condensed milk, and copious amounts of crushed ice. We present Mamey and Trigo as two separate drinks that refuse to yield to mainstream expectations, one tearing through frozen mamey pulp, the other churning handfuls of puffed wheat cereal, both spinning until the plastic pitcher frosts over. Add a tiny pinch of salt to make the whole thing sing, pour it straight from the pitcher, and drink it cold.
Before you start
Chill the glasses.
These traditional drinks lack the industrial stabilizers of commercial milkshakes and will separate quickly, so a frosted glass buys you extra time.
Ingredients
- frozen mamey sapote pulp1 cup
- puffed wheat cereal1 1/2 cup
- whole milk3 cup
- sweetened condensed milk6 tbsp
- crushed ice2 cup
- kosher salt2 pinch
Method
- 01
Build the mamey base.
In a high-speed blender, combine the thawed mamey pulp, half of the whole milk, half of the sweetened condensed milk, and one pinch of salt, processing until completely frothy and smooth.
- 02
Frost and serve the mamey batido.
Add half of the crushed ice and process on high until the ice is pulverized into a remarkably fine, thick suspension, pouring immediately into tall glasses.
- 03
Build the trigo base.
Rinse the blender, then combine the puffed wheat cereal, the remaining whole milk and condensed milk, and the second pinch of salt, blending for a full minute until the cereal completely dissolves into a toasted, malty milk.
- 04
Frost and serve the trigo batido.
Drop in the remaining crushed ice and blast on high until frosty and thick, serving right away to capture the true, effervescent magic of a Havana afternoon.
Notes
Blend before icing.
The cardinal rule of the Cuban batido is to emulsify the flavor base first, as adding the ice too early waters down the initial emulsion.
Skip the fresh mamey hunt.
Fresh mamey is notoriously finicky to gauge for ripeness; frozen pulp from the supermarket's freezer aisle is entirely authentic and guarantees peak flavor.
Respect the canned dairy.
If you find yourself without condensed milk, do not substitute American ice cream, but rather use an equal measure of evaporated milk combined with a couple tablespoons of white sugar to maintain that canonical cooked-milk richness.
From Cook Cuban in America.