(Puerto Vallarta, Mexico–we had a blast at this resort, especially when enjoying these type of views!)
I need a vacation.
Bad.
I’m so ready to make a move out of this crazy city. If something were to be offered in NY, I’d dip in a heart beat. In the meantime, I sit here in the east coasts’ sin city and ponder my next move. I find a moment of happiness in thinking about how much I travel and how much I love it. How much I’d love for someone to join me every time.
Not just family. However, when my familia does get together for biannual trips to Mexico, it’s priceless. I love it; except that our oldest brother has yet to come with us.
One of the reasons I like going to Mexico so much is the super friendly staff that waits on your every beckon call. You’ll see resort staff up at 4 am polishing poolside rails and ensuring breakfast is the freshest. And of course the food! The food is NOTHING like what we are served here, even in the most of authentic Mexican restaurants. I remember having sopes de marlin (fish) in Cabo San Lucas a few years back. The decor of this restaurant was so eclectic yet soothing, you could sit there all night. The rooftop had an intentional huge gaping hole that opened up to the star lit sky–hints of periwinkle streaks illuminated the black ether.
Everything about that night was perfect.
But then, people. We go to Wal-Mart to buy toiletries, etc… and somehow end up in the grocery section of this mega tienda. My baby brother and sis have an incredible sense of humor, so when they stumbled upon this box of cereal bars, I wasn’t feeling so bad about having ordered fresh sushi from the “sushi chef” taking orders at the front of the store:
Okay, maybe I did. That was a bad culinary decision on my part. But Thank God brands like Kellog have imported products to suit natives. I’m just mad they named it BIMBO! Really? Whose bimbo was making this decision? Obviously, we skipped on eating bimbo flavored bars! But when I get to indulge in something like this, all my worries and bad decisions are washed away:
Batido de Mamey (pronounced “mah-may”) is a must have at least once a week during Summer. Mamey is a yummy tropical fruit, originally from South America, though it is most commonly eaten in Mexico and Cuba. Yeah baby! We looooove this fruit! I would just about kill to have mamey everyday! It has a brown, kind of tough outer skin with a melon-ey looking inside. The fruits texture is kind of like that of an avocado. The seed is pretty much useless unless of course you plan on growing it. You can actually buy frozen mamey at your local Latin market, though I’ve had a hard time finding it even where my parents live in Va.
You can make all kinds of delectable treats with this awesome fruit, including my oh so damn good milkshake pictured above. It has a very smooth and flavorful savory and sweet appeal, believe it or not! I can’t really describe it it’s so good. But my fave is elado de mamey! Oh my God, baby smack me! I can only get mamey ice-cream in Miami, where all things Cuban are attainable, so when I’m able to find it locally, I GETS excited! I’m actually thinking about making some ice-cream myself. El Palacio de Frutas (”the fruit palace”) in Miami carries all kinds of fruits and vegetables you’ve never even heard of!
Mamey is also known to have aphrodisiac properties! No wonder I love swallowing this stuff in a matter of seconds!
I recently learned that:
“the mamey is the cornerstone of Cuban holistic medicine. It is used extensively as a veritable panacea for gastro-intestinal maladies. In southern Cuba, the mamey is also used to treat headaches and venereal diseases. There are numerous accounts of the mamey being used as an antiseptic during the Spanish-American War.“ (wikipedia).
This now justifies me paying $5.00 (even up to $3/lb) for one single fruit! Got a headache? Drink a mamey milkshake!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 full grown mamey fruit
- 6 cups 2% milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- a hint of vanilla (optional)
- crushed ice (optional)
Instructions:
Scoop out center of mamey. In blender, add fruit, milk, sugar, salt and ice. Blend on fast for about 3 minutes or until your shake is super smooth and creamy. Garnish with mint leaves!
Serves 4 glasses.
**SO WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE SUMMER SHAKE?!**
Mi nombre es Brenda. My friends call me B. And Bren is my stage and pen-name. I'm a single gal living alone in Atlanta for the time being. I'm a soulful chick. I have a passion for all things food. I'm a singer/musician really, but an incredible cook, I have to say! I was raised in a very traditional Latin home, which meant everything happened(s) in the kitchen, literally! story-telling, crying, partying, fighting...oh yeah and cooking!
May 16th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Mamey, Bimbo! Seriously though I want to try some. I have been on a watermelon smoothie kick lately. Frozen watermelon, lychees, syrup, lime, pomegrante juice,and a squirt of cream of coconut ! So good.
May 16th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Hands down - I’m a coffee gal - even milkshakes have to be coffee. I seriously think I need some Java Rehab…
NY - well then, you wouldn’t be that far from Philly now would ya?
May 16th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
I’ll gladly make this, but you have to send me a mamey first! I need to get down to Mexico, I’ve only been to Tijuana and that was just a waste of time.
May 17th, 2008 at 9:12 am
It’s funny, everytime I’m in Cabo I always notice the polishing of the pool rails, that’s funny you do too.
That recipe looks lovely as well!
May 17th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
I never heard of mamey before–I’ll have to see if I can find it anywhere. I’m partial to papayas myself–huge, cheap, and packed with flavor in the summer.
May 17th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Oh mamey!!!!! Licuados (batidos like you call them) de mamey are my favorite kind! Hmmmm yummy. And bimbo has been a beloved Mexican brand for more than a hundred years. Hehehe. Though it was really funny when I learned what that word means for gringos :-p
May 17th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Courtney: Your fave shake sounds too good! wow… i just may try it too! I’ll let you know.
Lys: Girl, you are crazy! I thought I was bad!! I’m siting on my porch right now in 80 degrees drinking some espresso…Somehow I get the impression you’d do the same! Yeah I’m trying to go to NY!
Nick: If if I find some here in ATL, I’ll send you some for sure! I’ll email you first. You just have to promise you’ll make it.
Noble Pig: Isn’t it tru though! I thought it was interesting. Try the mamey!
Mike: I like papaya shakes, etc… but not the fruit on its own. Weird, I know!
Ben: ha ha ha. Bimbo, I know–we thought it was funny, obviously. We all have our thing….I figured you’d love mamey, too!
May 18th, 2008 at 2:19 am
Q rico son los batidos de mamey!! Ahora me antojaste y quiero uno, jaja!
May 19th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
That look really, really refreshing!
You think Whole Foods would carry the frozen here?
May 20th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
I love, love, LOVE mamey! I OD on it in any form I can find any time I’m south of the border. I only wish I could find it here in CA!
May 20th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
Mamey’s sound really interesting. I will have to see if I can fond some!
May 21st, 2008 at 3:05 am
What? Mamey? I’ve never tried this, must get my hands on it!
It really all looks so delish and fresh. I really love your use of great fresh fruit!
May 21st, 2008 at 10:33 am
Tamarindo, Baby! That is my kind of milkshake! Yummmy! I would love to try Mamey - sounds really good.
May 21st, 2008 at 10:01 pm
I like coffee milkshakes and mango. But I have a blueberry protien drink every day.
May 23rd, 2008 at 2:19 am
The mamey looks like a papaya with potato skin, doesn’t it? Interesting.
I don’t think mamey is available in my part of the world, but I guess I could subsitute that with a few bananas. Awesome!
June 1st, 2008 at 7:54 pm
Wow, very well written post. I could almost taste the fruit as you described it’s look and texture. I will have to go out and find some me some Mamey. We have allot of Hispanic supermarkets down here, I bet I could find it there.
Talking about making ice cream made me think back when my grandparents would break out the ice cream churn. I was too young to remember what they put in it, but I will never forget the anticipation. Crank, and crank, then check or maybe add ice, and crank again. The end result was well worth the wait. Nothing like homemade ice cream. I wish I had one of those churns, sound fun now.
June 3rd, 2008 at 11:28 pm
Feeling your soul baby girl. I can taste the sweetness of your character! Say wassup if you ever in Miami! Stay safe and be blessed.
Dimarco
June 19th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Batidos de Mamey are the best… that and batidos de frutabomba or papaya, as the mayority calls it. If you guys live in the Miami area, any good Cuban restaurant or cafeteria can make them for you. Also, you can buy the fruit pulp frozen at any supermarket, particuarly Sedano’s. They are the best to accompany a Cuban sandwich or Media Noche…
but a Tamarindo milkshake… never heard of that one. And I don;t think I want to try it either…
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