Atole (x3)

After making the alfajores, I was stuck with a giant box of Maizena, and I had no idea what to do with it (and I'm not currently plagued by diaper rash, diarrhea or chicken pox, so that rules out use as a home cure). So I decided to take the advice on the side of the box and make atole. (I also made fleur de lait, but that's even less Mexican than I am.)

Atole is a hot Mexican drink from ancient times made from milk and corn starch (or ground corn, originally). The cornstarch makes the drink slightly thicker than milk and the plain version tastes an awful lot like sweet grits. The traditional atole lends itself to many variations, among them, piloncillo, chocolate, vanilla and various fruits. These days, freezing and blending atole drinks is very popular, making a sort of corny, ice cream-less milkshake. Atole is common drunk to celebrate holidays, like Día de los Muertos and Las Posadas before Christmas, but it's just as commonly drunk to celebrate waking up in the morning or finishing dinner, as breakfast and dessert.

Ingredients
1 qt. whole milk
3 Tbsp. cornstarch (Maizena)
1/4 c. sugar

3 Tbsp. cocoa powder (for chocolate variation)
or
1 1/2 Tbsp. vanilla extract or powder (for vanilla variation)

Directions

1 - Dissolve the cornstarch in 1 cup of the whole milk. Set aside.

2 - Bring the remaining milk to a boil in a large pot over medium heat.

3 - Add the milk-cornstarch mixture to the boiling milk. Return to a boil and stir constantly for at least 2 minutes, or until the atole thickens.

4 - Take off heat. Add sugar and stir until it dissolves.

5 (optional) - Add cocoa powder or vanilla to flavor the drink as desired.