Homemade eggnog © 2010 theCrackerBoxKitchen. All rights reserved.

Homemade Eggnog

Mmmmm, eggnog. My Daddy loves this stuff. He drinks at least a carton on Christmas Eve alone.  I’ve never been a big fan, until I made the real thing.

This past summer, I hosted a Christmas in July party. On the hottest day of the year, mind you. I’m sorry to say I don’t have video of what I’m about to describe, but if I ever do it again, you can be sure there’ll be video. I made eggnog ice cream, with dry ice. It was awesome. All 20 or so of my guests crammed into my cracker box  kitchen and watched the miracle of science. It was like being in high school science class all over again, and we could eat the results! Which we did, right out of the bowl. I don’t recommend dry ice ice cream with a hand mixer, but if you have a stand mixer (see link below), go for it! (And be sure to call all of your friends over to watch.)

My most recent foray into eggnog was at the reciprocal party, Fourth of July in December, that we hosted a couple of weeks ago. It snowed. Go figure. Egg nog has nothing to do with celebrating  our country’s independence, but T’s pleas of, “but it’s SNOWING!”, won me over.

What follows is a delicious, frothy, cooked eggnog recipe (gotta be safe). I recommend you whip some up for your holiday celebrations. No more of the carton stuff!
If you’d like to read the history of eggnog, click here.

-4 eggs, separated
-1/3 cup of sugar + 1 tablespoon
-1 pint whole milk
-1 cup heavy cream
-1 teaspoon nutmeg
(freshly grated, preferred)
3 oz. spiced rum (T prefers Sailor Jerry) (optional)
(This recipe can be double, tripled, and so on, for however many guest you’ll be serving.)

 Before we begin, I have to tell you that a stand mixer, such as this one, makes homemade eggnog a breeze. If you don’t have a stand mixer, don’t fret. Just get out your hand mixer, and grab a friend.

OK, let’s begin.

Beat egg yolks until they are light in color, then gradually add 1/3 cup sugar, and continue to beat until sugar is completely dissolved. Set aside.

In a sauce pan over high heat, combine the milk, heavy cream and nutmeg (or wait until the end) and bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally. If you don’t have a stand mixer, this next step is when you need to grab your friend.  Remove the milk/cream mixture from the heat, have your friend hold the mixer in the bowl (turn it on, of course),  and you gradually temper (pour very, very slowly) the liquid into the egg mixture. If you just dump the hot milk into the egg yolks, you’ll have nutmeg flavoured scrambled egg yolks — not exactly what we’re going for.

Return the tempered egg mixture back to the pot and heat until it just reaches a boil again (the frothy foam will start to rise in the pot), then remove from heat, stir in rum (optional), and set aside to completely cool before refrigerating. (I let mine sit for at least an hour.) If you want to get your drink on a little quicker, set pot in a water bath. (Fill sink with about 2-3 inches cold water, throw in some ice cubes, and set pot in sink. Should cool in about 15 minutes.)

Once the nog has cooled, beat eggs whites to soft peaks, gradually adding 1 tablespoon of sugar. Whisk egg whites into chilled nog. (This step is optional if you’re fearful of uncooked egg whites.) Pour into festive glasses, grate a nutmeg on top, and serve!

*RAW EGG WARNING*
Due to the slight risk of salmonella or other food-borne illness, please use caution when consuming raw and lightly cooked eggs.  To reduce this risk, it is recommended that you use only fresh, properly refrigerated, clean grade A or AA eggs with intact shells, and avoid contact between the yolks or whites and the shell. You may also purchase pasteurized eggs, such as Davidson’s.

Recipe Source: my hero, Alton Brown, at foodnetwork.com
Image Source: webmd.com

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  1. By I’m BACK, in the Kitchen again… | theCrackerBoxKitchen 28 January, 2013 at 9:09 PM

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