The Cultural Dish: Homemade Adult Eggnog

"It's the most fattening time of the year

With that pumpkin pie filling

And everyone swilling down eggnog and beer

It's the most fattening time..."

Ahh, parody Christmas tunes! Got to love them! Sadly, this one may be quite true, but I'm okay with that! And to celebrate, I am going to make some homemade eggnog.

Believe it or not, I hate eggnog. Yupp, hate it. Well, the store-bought kind. However, I decided to make it for myself a few years back, and woah! My mind was blown. I am now an eggnog lover. Homemade eggnog lover that is.

I have a couple of variations of this recipe, but this one contains cooked eggs, so no raw stuff happening today. I do have another recipe for eggnog (that I find just as delicious), that involves no cooking, so just be mindful to not serve that recipe to youngin's or older folk who are at a higher risk to get sick. You can find that recipe here. Go on, give them both a try and let me know which one you like better. Oh, and both recipes can be made virgin or for adults! :)

Homemade Eggnog

Ingredients (makes a couple healthy courses - double or triple for larger groups):

-5 egg yolks

-1/2 cup of granulated sugar

-1 cup heavy cream

-2 cups whole milk

-1/2 to 1 teaspoon Nutmeg (please just go out and buy whole nutmeg and grate it yourself - you'll thank me later)

-Splash of vanilla

-Optional: 2 to 3 ounces of bourbon, brandy, or run (or all three - yes, I have done all three, especially when making a larger batch.

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until it becomes lighter and creamy. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat the cream, milk, and a 1/2 teaspoon of the freshly grated nutmeg (you can add more later once you give it a taste) and bring to a simmer.

Now, for the fun part! Okay, maybe not.. It is time to temper the egg mixture. Working quickly, pour roughly a 1/2 cup of the cream mixture into the egg mixture and whisk vigorously so that the eggs do not cook. Add a little bit more of the cream mixture to the eggs and continue whisking until you have incorporated all of the milk and cream into the eggs.

Now that the eggs are tempered, return the mixture to the saucepan and simmer on low heat for just a few more minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in a splash of vanilla and alcohol if using. Allow to cool slightly and transfer to a bowl or bottle and refrigerate until cold. Serve chilled with an extra sprinkle of nutmeg and enjoy!

Please note: You will have a lot of extra egg whites. They can keep wrapped in your fridge for a couple of weeks so you can try some of these recipes that call for whites!
Homemade Eggnog (raw version)
Merengues
Pumpkin Waffles

For more great holiday cocktail recipes, see below: