I don’t know about you, but I consider eggnog the perfect Christmastime drink, and once you’ve had the homemade variety, you’ll never want to go back to the carton. Done just right, eggnog is rich and silky smooth with enough spice to warm your soul on a cold autumn night.
Ingredients
- 6 egg yolks
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp vanilla essence
- splash of rum, bourbon or Amarula (optional)
Directions
Crack the eggs on the side of a container. The key to separating whites from yolks is to crack the shell neatly in half and cup the yolk in one half of the shell while allowing the white to drip away. Gently now, pour the yolk into the other half of the shell, taking care not to break it on the jagged edges of the shell, allowing more of the white to drip away.
Toss the yolks into a big bowl and place the container with the whites into the refrigerator to use another time. (Perhaps while making these scrumptious amaretti?) Then, whisk the sugar into the egg yolks until light and frothy. It should resemble an English custard.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, cream, vanilla essence and spices. Don’t worry if you see your spices floating in clumps on the surface, they’ll infuse as the liquid heats up. Now I know the saying a watched pot doesn’t boil, but you want to keep an eye on your saucepan because I guarantee the milk will burn if you turn your back on it. The best thing is to stir constantly, dragging your spoon on the bottom of the saucepan in a figure-eight pattern to keep the milk from sticking and burning.
*A note on tempering raw eggs
When the milky mixture is just off a simmer, pull it off the heat and add a spoonful of it to the egg mixture, whisking vigorously as you do so. The key here is to temper the eggs, not cook them. As delicious as eggnog is, if you don’t perform this step properly you risk exposing yourself and your guests to salmonella.
Whisk thoroughly with each spoonful of hot milk. As you get closer to the bottom of the saucepan, ladle the milk into the egg mixture. Then, pour the mixture back into the saucepan and put it back on the hot stovetop while continuing to stir. Raise the heat slightly and stir until it reaches 160° Fahrenheit. Congratulations! You’ve safely tempered your eggs.
Place a mesh sieve over a glass container and pour the contents of the saucepan into it. Add a splash of alcohol if you so desire. Spiced rum is a popular addition, not to mention the high alcohol content will preserve your eggnog. Personally, I prefer something creamy to match the texture of this seasonal drink. Amarula—a crème liqueur made from the fermented marula fruit of east Africa and Madagascar—is my favourite and adds the barest hint of orange zest and nougat.
Garnish with whipped cream and either a cinnamon stick or a light dusting of ground cinnamon before serving. If, for some ungodly reason, you have leftovers, keep refrigerated. The spices tend to settle on the bottom, so give it a quick stir before re-serving. Cheers to the holidays!
