Agua de Frutas {Papaya, Guava & Apple Punch}

I have been wanting to share this recipe for a couple of weeks now, but with going back to teaching ESL and visiting with my sister-in-law and her family, who were here on vacation for three weeks, time kind of slipped away.  But this Agua de Frutas is too good not to share.  It's one of my favorite Agua Frescas to order at La Michoacana, our local ice cream shop.

It's made with some of my favorite fruits: papaya, guava, and apple.  Papaya and guava are two fruits with their own distinctive flavor and you probably wouldn't think to pair them together thinking that the flavor combination would be too overpowering.  But this Agua de Frutas proves just the opposite.  The combination of papaya and guava creates a wonderful burst of flavor.  And the apple adds a sweet tartness, that makes for one delicious and refreshing Agua Fresca. 

My Agua de Frutas is a little different from the one sold at La Michoacana in that I prefer larger slices of guava and apple instead of tiny chopped pieces of fruit that always get stuck in your straw.

And for those of you that don't really like the flavor of papaya, I hope you'll try this Agua de Frutas anyway, because the papaya loses some of it's potency when combined with the sweetened condensed milk.  

Agua de Frutas
(Papaya, Guava & Apple Punch)

Ingredients:

• 1 medium papaya, peeled, seeds removed, and cut into large chunks
• 10 to 12 cups of water
• 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 apples, cored and thinly sliced
• 6 guavas, cut in thin wedges

Directions:
Fill a blender cup with papaya.  Add 2 to 3 cups of water and puree until smooth.  Pour the papaya puree into a large (4-quart) pitcher.  Stir in the can of sweetened condensed milk and enough water to fill the pitcher a little more than two-thirds of the way; stir until well combined.  Taste for sweetness, adding more sugar, if necessary.  Gently stir in the apple and guava slices.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.  Add enough ice to fill the pitcher before serving.  Enjoy!!!

Sharing this recipe with FOTMC (Food of the Month Club)