cooked eggnog

One thing that I’ve always wanted to do at the holidays is make eggnog. I really love eggnog but it really is a treat. I figured this year I wouldn’t have any until I made it to make sure I don’t over indulge and I would actually get around to making it. It was so easy and so good that I’ll be making it again when I go back home to Connecticut for Christmas.

I recently saw this article in The New York Times about eggnog, making it, and comparing store-bought eggnog vs homemade. The author felt that a cooked custard eggnog has better taste and texture than a typical eggnog that does not completely cook the eggs. I’m not too worried about eating raw eggs as I’ve had them in cocktails and eat runny eggs just about every weekend so I could have gone with an quick eggnog but I wanted to focus on making one that really tasted awesome.

I really enjoyed the process of making this eggnog, although I immediately goofed on the directions. Nothing major but I put in all 4 cups of milk into the sauce pan instead of just 2. I just kept going from there. Cooking the eggnog took the most time and attention so it will cook slowly and evenly. It took about 20 minutes for the milk, egg, sugar mixture to get thick enough. I was aiming for just a bit thinner than being thick enough for the back of the spoon test since eggnog is pretty thick.

While the author remarked that she prefers a dark rum with her eggnog I used bourbon as that was in the house. I used the 1 1/2 cups that was called for, which resulted in an eggnog with a real kick. If you prefer a more subtle flavor then I suggest mixing in 1 cup first and tasting it at that point.

Since eggnog is not a fan always a favorite, Amanda brings an Eggnog Quick Bread to this week’s Thirsty Thursday. Hey, just because it’s not a drink doesn’t mean it doesn’t count! It uses a great bevie to flavor it! So festive and creative.

Homemade Eggnog

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 4 cups whole milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 5 large eggs, separated
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups bourbon
• Whole nutmeg

Process

1. In a medium sized saucepan, heat 4 cups milk over medium low heat. Do not boil and stir occasionally so it does not burn. Turn off the heat.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the the sugar into the egg yolks and whisk until thick and pale.
3. Whisk 1 cup of the warm milk into the egg and sugar mixture. Slowly add the warm egg sugar mixture into the rest of the milk in the saucepan. Put over low heat again, stir regularly until the milk mixture has thickened. Turn off the heat and then quickly stir in the cream.
4. Put a bowl inside another bowl bowl and fill the space between with ice water. Add the milk mixture to the bowl and stir occasionally, until chilled. When completely chilled, stir into a punch bowl and add rum.
5. Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks and then fold them into the eggnog. Top each serving of the eggnog with freshly grated nutmeg.