Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Mo's Easy Homemade Eggnog

It only takes four ingredients to make quick, easy, creamy, delicious homemade eggnog!  But bourbon is a highly recommended fifth.





Christmas at my grandmother’s meant a huge pot of her homemade eggnog at least one of the nights of our holiday.  The original called for one gallon of milk and 10 eggs!  I’d like to tell you how it kept and whether we rewarmed it successfully the next day but I honestly don’t remember having any leftovers!  It’s that good.  As a child, I drank it plain.  No nutmeg, and, of course, no bourbon.  Now I love adding both.

Ingredients
8 1/2 cups or 2 liters whole milk
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups or 300g sugar
1 heaped tablespoon cornstarch
Nutmeg and bourbon or rum (Optional for serving but highly recommended)

Method
Remove 1/2 cup or 120ml from your measured milk and set aside in a small bowl.

Heat the rest of the milk over a low fire.   Do be careful not to let it scorch.



While your milk is warming:  In a very large mixing bowl, beat the eggs until they are light yellow.  Add the sugar to the eggs and beat until creamy and almost fluffy.



Dissolve 1 heaping tablespoon cornstarch into your reserved cold milk.

Use a fork or small whisk to make sure there are not any lumps of cornstarch left.






When the pot of milk comes to the boil, slowly add the cornstarch/milk, stirring quickly.  (When I looked up the boiling point of milk, most references said it was close to the boiling point of water which is 212°F or 100°C but mine bubbled gently at about 190°F or 88°C.  In case you are the thermometer-using type.)  Cook for a few more minutes until it thickens slightly.

I need three hands!  I stirred like crazy before and then after I took the photo, as I kept pouring.

Add a couple of cups of the hot milk to the egg mixture by pouring it in very slowly and whisking quickly.

This is actually the second cup I am pouring in.  I was whisking like a mad woman when
the first hot cup drizzled in.  You should do the same!  In fact, don't stop to take photos at all. 
If you have a friend to help, one can whisk, while the other pours.  If you are alone, set your egg bowl on a towel so it won’t spin and whisk quickly with one hand while pouring slowly with the other.  If you rush this step, you risk cooking your eggs in the hot milk, which will make the eggnog eggy and lumpy.  It’s not a pretty sight.  It can be somewhat rescued by straining it through a fine mesh sieve but just don’t go there to start with.  And, yes, I know all this from sad experience.

Add all the now-warm egg/milk mixture back into the pot with the rest of milk.


Bring it to a gentle boil and let it thicken slightly.

Serve in mugs, topped with a sprinkle of nutmeg.

Go ahead and laugh but I wanted to show you my fake fireplace.  In Dubai.
 It looks like flames from an inside light but it does actually have an air blower that puts out heat too.
Bourbon or rum can also be added, if desired. If you are adding alcohol, give the mug a good stir before drinking and, of course, don't share with your kiddies.

My cup!  Get your own. 

Enjoy!


Visit all the other Christmas Week Peeps for more Holiday Baking Goodness:




18 comments :

  1. I'm in love with eggnog, but can you believe I've never made my own! *slaps hand* Must make this asap!


    Happy day #2!

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  2. Simply yummilicious!!! I would love a glass of that right now, great recipe!!

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  3. My husband loves eggnog, but I've never had homemade...only the stuff from the fridge. Maybe I'll surprise him and whip up a batch this season!

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  4. I have never made eggnog. now it's on my christmas list. Thanks Stacy for the recipe.

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  5. Thanks, Tara! One year when I was old enough to care, I stirred for my grandmother as she made it and wrote the ingredients and method down. I am so glad I did as we make it at least once every year now too.

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  6. This isn't quite as thick as the fridge kind, Wendy, but maybe because it's served hot. Or do you warm that before serving too? I do buy the Borden's as well because it keeps and my girls will drink cold eggnog every day during the holidays.

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  7. You should try it, Marie! Nothing better on a cold winter night!

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  8. I think it's better, Aimee. It certainly has fewer weird, unpronounceable ingredients. Have you read the label on that stuff? I have because I buy that too. :) My girls like to drink the Borden's cold.

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  9. At my house, we make similar drink at Christmas, but we use Calavdos. It is superbe!

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  10. I should have done that for my grandma's recipes, I don't have any of them as she always said it was a handful of this and a mouthful of that!! LOL

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  11. That's how mine cooked too, Tara. You had to watch her like a hawk because she wouldn't mention an ingredient and then, suddenly, she was humming some in. My mother says I am the same way, trying to keep secrets. :) But it's just that I think of something I want to add or something I forgot. That was the hardest part of writing the blog posts when I first started. Quantifying the recipes.

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  12. I have a severe eggnog dependency problem. Zero willpower, zero self-control. It's pathetic. :)

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  13. Hi Stacy! The other day I had my first eggnog at Radisson Royal, Dubai. It wasn't a traditional recipe then?

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  14. My dad was an eggnog fanatic. Every time I see it I think of him. I love that you made your own. It's fabulous.

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  15. I didn't realize how easy eggnog is to make, this looks yummy!!

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  16. Looks yummy... I am preggo so I wouldn't be able to drink it. I would pick the red set!

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