As I prepare to pack my bags for some holiday travel I thought I'd toss this quick post together, one last little culinary sharing before Christmas. For all of you out there who have never made your own eggnog, and gag when served the artificially sweetened and thickened sludge bought pre-made at the market, you are in for a treat. One sip of this magical elixir and you'll feel like Ebenezer Scrooge quaffing the "milk of human kindness" in the musical version of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" starring Albert Finney.
This is not a drink for the faint of heart, what with a dozen eggs, copious amounts of whole milk and cream, a couple cups of sugar, and over 6 cups of booze…..but hey, if you want to get giddy like old Uncle Ebenezer, you gotta take some health risks!
Regardless of what holidays you celebrate this time of year, I hope yours are filled with peace, joy, the love of family and friends, and a whole lot of tasty treats!
Happy Holidays my friends, we'll see you back here next year!
Cheers – Steve
Ingredients
- 12 large egg yolks (reserve the whites)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 liter bourbon
- 3/4 cup cognac or brandy
- 1/2 cup Meyers' dark rum
- 1 quart whole milk
- 2 1/2 cups heavy cream, separated
- pinch fine salt
Instructions
Note: The recipe calls for the eggnog base to be made at least 1 week in advance. If you have the time, great, if not, feel free to make it with less (or no) ageing time, it'll still be great.
- Place the reserved egg whites in a very clean and airtight container and freeze until 1 day prior to serving the eggnog.
- Combine the yolks and sugar in a large bowl and whisk until blended, creamy, and pale yellow.
- Add the milk, 1 cup of the heavy cream, all the booze, and the pinch of salt. Whisk vigorously until the sugar has melted and the yolks are fully incorporated into the liquids. Transfer the mixture to a 1 gallon sealed container and place in the fridge to age for 1-2 weeks (if you have the time)
- The day before you want to finish the eggnog take the egg whites from the freezer and place them in the fridge to thaw.
- Just before serving, let the egg whites come to room temperature. Place the whites in a very clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed until medium peaks form, about 2 minutes. Remove the whites to a punch bowl.
- Place the remaining 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream in the stand mixer bowl (no need to wash the bowl), and whisk on high speed until medium peaks form, about 2 minutes. Add to the whipped whites in the punch bowl.
- Shake the eggnog base to recombine, then add it to the punch bowl. Gently whisk the eggnog together until just combined and no large pockets of whites or cream remain. Do not over-whisk or you'll deflate the eggnog. Serve in glasses over ice, or better yet, place the punch bowl in a larger bowl full of crushed ice so that the eggnog stays nice and cold so you can get by without any ice in your glass. Top each serving with freshly grated nutmeg and toast your good fortune at having discovered this recipe!
Makes about 1 gallon
**** Disclosure: your eggnog will turn out thicker and creamier than what you see in the photos above. Why? Because for this post I shot just the eggnog base in the glasses as I will not be "finishing" the nog until Christmas Eve. Cheers – S