Eggnog

[Cord Hurn]

Confession time. I've never had pumpkin spice. I avoided it because I don't care for pumpkin. Then I found out that it didn't actually involve pumpkins, just cinnamon and nutmeg and whatnot - which I'm okay with. But now I'm confused again because that recipe includes actual pumpkin. Minus the pumpkin, it sounds good. I know this is a bad time of year to confess to being anti-pumpkin.

What, anti-pumpkin? Utterly shocking, Sorus! Oh, I understand what you mean, pumpkin flavor is just not for everybody. So, I stand corrected on saying that you'd like pumpkin spice eggnog rather than peppermint eggnog--I guessed wrong, it seems (sorry about that). (Come to think of it, I believe I'll post a peppermint eggnog recipe before I give this thread a rest.)

But I think I can alleviate some of the confusion, here. "Pumpkin spice" can mean a recipe flavored with pumpkin, or pumpkin pie spice, or both. However, "pumpkin pie spice", made to go along with the flavor of the pie crust and the sweetener and butter or margarine used as well as with the flavor of the pumpkin, consists of the cinnamon and nutmeg and whatnot that you remember, Sorus. The distinction between "pumpkin spice" and "pumpkin pie spice" is a fine distinction, admittedly, but it exists.

[Sorus]

No problem with the spice aspect - nutmeg is practically mandatory, and no quarrel with cinnamon and cloves and whatnot. Pumpkin glop reminds me of dog food though.

[Cord Hurn]

No problem with the spice aspect - nutmeg is practically mandatory, and no quarrel with cinnamon and cloves and whatnot. Pumpkin glop reminds me of dog food though.

Agreed that it's just not eggnog without the nutmeg, although there are a few recipes that have it as optional. I should also note that I've had several cooks tell me that freshly grated nutmeg is far superior to using the dried-up stuff. And having noted that, I should admit that I've only used the dried-up type of nutmeg for recipes: I probably need to try the fresh stuff sometime.


"Pumpkin glop" certainly doesn't sound appetizing, described in that way. It might smell a tiny bit better than dog food, though.

[Cord Hurn]

Peppermint Eggnog

INGREDIENTS
6 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons more sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
4 cups whole milk
12 peppermint candy canes, broken into pieces
3 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
peppermint sticks added for garnish

DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Whisk together eggs, egg yolks, sugar, salt, and the extracts in a large saucepan over medium-low heat until combined. Pour in milk in a slow, steady stream, whisking until fully incorporated. Raise heat to medium. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 30 to 35 minutes.

2. Pour milk mixture through a fine sieve into a medium bowl. Set bowl in ice-water bath; let mixture cool completely. Transfer this resulting custard to an airtight container, and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to overnight.

3. Process candy canes in a food processor until finely crushed. Sift in a strainer to discard dust. Transfer to a shallow dish.

4. Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Let cool 5 minutes. Dip rim of each cup to be used for serving eggnog into the melted chocolate, then into the crushed peppermint. Refrigerate until set, about 5 minutes.

5. Remove custard from refrigerator; set aside. Put cream into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; mix on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Fold into cold custard until combined. Fill cups with eggnog. Sprinkle with crushed peppermint candy cane material, and garnish with peppermint sticks; serve.


A rather labor-intensive recipe, once again from Martha Stewart. But it certainly sounds to be gourmet-level delicious. Makes 5 servings.

[Skyweir]

Definitely worth a crack _

As to your Brit comments .. and as an ex pat Brit myself _ It may well be a tradition on the way out .. egg nog, xmas pudding is a dying art form ... and I blame dried nasty lemon peel for that

But with my family who are Scots and Scowse and Grordies.. we hold fast to our traditions, egg nog included. I dont make rum butter etc like my mother used to.

The young ones no doubt choose a "shot" or cocktail equivalent .. as its not only yummy and delightful but more hip I guess

I cant imagine going home to Scotland or northern UK for xmas and not having egg nog .. it would be an unseemly affront

[Cord Hurn]

The recipe for eggnog from famed cook Martha Stewart, that Menolly provided on page one of this thread, sounds rather enticing, but I'd like to add a second recipe from Stewart, this one for only six servings.

INGREDIENTS
4 cups milk
1 cup sugar
12 large egg yolks
1 cup chilled heavy cream
grated nutmeg (optional)
1/2 cup bourbon (optional)

DIRECTIONS
1. In medium saucepan, whisk milk and sugar over medium heat until sugar is dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks. Whisking constantly, pour hot mixture into yolks in a slow and steady stream.

2. Return mixture to pan; cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until thick enough to coat back of spoon, 20 to 25 minutes; do not let simmer. Quickly strain into a bowl. Stir in cream. Stir in bourbon, if desired. Cool completely; cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate until chilled. Garnish with nutmeg, if desired.

I actually made this tonight, except that I substituted brandy for bourbon. It tasted okay, mixing pleasantly enough with the brandy. But I think there needed to be a somewhat higher ratio of cream and sugar to make for less of a sour aftertaste, and the consistency of the final result was a little runny, even after being chilled in the refrigerator for a few hours.

[Cord Hurn]

This eggnog recipe is for 4 servings, and is credited to Texas resident Jessie Van Slyke.

Pumpkin Spice Eggnog

INGREDIENTS
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
2 cups milk (2% or whole)
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

DIRECTIONS
1. Pour egg yolks into the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on medium speed.

2. Add sugar slowly and continue mixing until just combined.

3. Adjust mixer speed to low and add in pumpkin, milk, cream, vanilla, nutmeg, and pumpkin pie spice.

4. Pour into a pitcher and chill before serving.

https://www.kitschencat.com/pumpkin-spice-eggnog/

So, I made some of this recipe's eggnog, using fresh pumpkin but dried nutmeg, and it was frothy, moderately sweet and authentically "pumpkin enough" in tis tangy flavor that I'm likely to make it again! This one was tasty!

[Cord Hurn]

I think I'll next make some eggnog based on one of the recipes Menolly provided.

(But not right now, though, because I need a few days to work off the extra calories I've gained from the eggnog I've already consumed! )

[Fist and Faith]

Spoon Up Eggnog is awesome.
Whip up a pint of heavy cream.
Whip up four egg whites.
Mix the egg yolks with sugar (I'd start with, what, 1/8 cup?) and whatever. I don't like alcohol, so I like imitation rum extract (start with 2 teaspoons).
Fold it all together. You have to taste it and see if you need more sugar or extract. (No idea how much rum you would start with, since I don't like it.)

If you use vanilla extract instead of rum, you have the best whipped cream ever to use on your desserts.

[Savor Dam]

That sounds like an awesome augmented whipped cream, Fist...but do you not use any nutmeg or other eggnog-typical spicing?

[Fist and Faith]

Personally, I don't.

[Cord Hurn]

But, for kick-you-in-your-@$$ entertaining, or on Chr-stmas Eve and Day, it's Martha Stewart's over-the-top recipe all the way.

Eggnog
(Martha Stewart Living)
Serves 26

This eggnog's rich, cloudlike texture is produced by separating the eggs and beating the whites before adding them to the milk mixture. The eggnog base can be made one day in advance; just beat in the stiff egg whites and whipped cream just before serving.

12 eggs, separated
1-1/2 cups superfine sugar
1 quart whole milk
1-1/2 quarts heavy cream
3 cups bourbon
1/2 cup dark rum
2 cups cognac
Freshly grated nutmeg

In a very large bowl, beat egg yolks until thick and pale yellow. Gradually add sugar to yolks. With a wire whisk, beat in milk and 1 quart cream. Add bourbon, rum, and cognac, stirring constantly.

Just before serving, beat egg whites until stiff. Fold into mixture. Whip remaining 1/2 quart heavy cream until stiff, and fold in. Sprinkle with nutmeg.

I just tried this recipe tonight, except I used brandy instead of cognac. I even made sure to buy whole nutmeg to grate instead of my usual habit of using dried nutmeg. However, I used half of the amount of ingredients called for, because I'm not throwing a party, and all the excess eggnog I've stored in jars for refrigeration.

My verdict: the texture, with the stiffly beaten egg whites and single cup of cream folded within, was really, REALLY appetizing! The alcohol content as followed by exact ratio from the recipe, was a bit much for me. I found it difficult to taste much of the cream, sugar, milk, and eggs because the alcohol flavor was SO STRONG, but the freshly grated nutmeg flavor still came shining through! Other than that, I am feeling no pain, and have limited myself to just two glasses of this eggnog for tonight, but am looking forward to having more of it later this week.

[Savor Dam]

The prominence of the alcohol in your tasting may be the substitution of brandy for cognac, or just that your tastes vary from the recipe author. By all means use what you have on hand (I typically use whichever bourbon strikes my fancy at the time), but titrate the booze to match your preference.

Dam-sel takes hers lighter than what I make for myself. Menolly used to, but has given alcohol up pretty much entirely the last couple years.

[Menolly]

As the first sentence says in the quote on my post of the Martha Stewart receipt, her recipe as is is plan to stay home and go nowhere eggnog. I don't think subbing the brandy for cognac had anything to do with the strength; it's really, really strong.

Definitely feel free to cut back on the amount of spirits to your taste. I think if I tried drinking it as written nowadays, I would not only pass out after one serving (which was known to happen anyway, as I was always a lightweight imbiber), I would probably get violently ill before doing so due to the duadenal ulcer.

[Cord Hurn]

The prominence of the alcohol in your tasting may be the substitution of brandy for cognac, or just that your tastes vary from the recipe author. By all means use what you have on hand (I typically use whichever bourbon strikes my fancy at the time), but titrate the booze to match your preference.

Dam-sel takes hers lighter than what I make for myself. Menolly used to, but has given alcohol up pretty much entirely the last couple years.

I an drinking another glass of this particular-style eggnog right now, and still feel it is true that I found the alcohol taste to be a bit strong for me. The brandy taste seems to somewhat dominate over both the flavors of bourbon and rum, yet it may be because I am somewhat sensitive to the alcohol, as more often than not I drink eggnog without booze.

Don't get me wrong, as I'm having fun trying out these different eggnog creations, and I appreciate the wonderful texture of the stiffly-beaten egg whites and cream within the eggnog. (I note that when i take out the jars of this kind of eggnog, that I must pour in some of the heavy liquid part, and add some of the foamy part, and use a small spoon to "re-fold" the mixture, as it separates while staying overnight in my fridge.)

[Cord Hurn]

As the first sentence says in the quote on my post of the Martha Stewart receipt, her recipe as is is plan to stay home and go nowhere eggnog. I don't think subbing the brandy for cognac had anything to do with the strength; it's really, really strong.

Definitely feel free to cut back on the amount of spirits to your taste. I think if I tried drinking it as written nowadays, I would not only pass out after one serving (which was known to happen anyway, as I was always a lightweight imbiber), I would probably get violently ill before doing so due to the duadenal ulcer.

Well, I certainly don't blame you for abstaining from the alcohol, Menolly, as it undeniably can cause heath problems and really be painful to drink when you have digestive issues.

All the same, I thank you for providing that recipe, and just once I wanted to make it with the booze amounts specified just to see what I thought of it! In the future, I will make it with less booze or even alcohol-free, because I am SO IMPRESSED with this eggnog's frothiness that I won't miss the booze! I have made sure before drinking any of this particular batch that I have no need to drive anywhere, that's for sure!


[Edited to include which alcohol brands I used: E & J for the brandy, Jim Beam for the bourbon, and Myers's Jamaican Original for the dark rum.]

[Cord Hurn]

I haven't tried to make this particular non-alcoholic eggnog yet, but I note that it's one of the higher-rated eggnog recipes on the internet. I find it kind of unusual in that it doesn't direct you to separate the egg yolks from the egg whites, and that salt is one of the ingredients. An Ohio woman named Pat Waymire submitted it, and credited its creation to her mother. This recipe makes 12 servings.

INGREDIENTS
12 large eggs
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups heavy whipping cream
8 cups whole milk, divided in half
Additional nutmeg, optional

DIRECTIONS
1. In a heavy saucepan, whisk together eggs, sugar, and salt. Gradually add 4 cups milk; cook and stir over low heat about 30 to 35 minutes. Do not allow to boil. Immediately transfer to a large bowl.

2.Stir in vanilla, nutmeg, and remaining milk. Place bowl in an ice-water bath, stirring until milk mixture is cool. (If mixture separates, process in a blender until smooth.) Refrigerate, covered, until cold, at least 3 hours.

3. To serve, beat cream until soft peaks form. Whisk gently into cooled milk mixture. If desired, sprinkle with additional nutmeg before serving.

"Taste of Home" Editor's note: Eggnog may be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for several days. Whisk before serving.

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/homemade-eggnog/

That looks like a good recipe, though I'd probably have to scale it down a bit as I can't see myself ever needing 12 servings.

Certainly it can be scaled down and still be good. Here's that same recipe for homemade eggnog submitted by Pat Waymire for Taste of Home, but with all the ingredients halved:

INGREDIENTS
6 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup heavy whipping cream
4 cups whole milk, divided in half
Additional nutmeg, optional

DIRECTIONS
1. In a heavy saucepan, whisk together eggs, sugar, and salt. Gradually add 2 cups milk; cook and stir over low heat about 30 to 35 minutes. Do not allow to boil. Immediately transfer to a large bowl.

2. Stir in vanilla, nutmeg, and remaining milk. Place bowl in an ice-water bath, stirring until milk mixture is cool. (If mixture separates, process in a blender until smooth.) Refrigerate, covered, until cold, at least 3 hours.

3. To serve, beat cream until soft peaks form. Whisk gently into cooled milk mixture. If desired, sprinkle with additional nutmeg before serving.

"Taste of Home" Editor's note: Eggnog may be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for several days. Whisk before serving.

Makes six servings.

Okay, so I made this recipe for eggnog today, with ingredient amounts that produce six servings. This was the first recipe I tried from this thread that uses vanilla and salt, and doesn't require separation of egg yolks from egg whites. I liked the addition of the vanilla flavor, but really didn't care for the addition of salt, even though I used the pink Himalayan salt that I generally favor.

The texture of this eggnog I don't care for, as it has a lot of little lumps within it, even after several minutes' worth of both stirring and whisking. Clearly, I am paying the price for ignoring my previous advice to Sorus, because I did not keep a strainer on hand to use! As a result, the little bits of lump are the egg whites that solidified during the cooking process. That did not ruin the flavor any, but the texture is a bit uncomfortable on my tongue, like someone mixed in some cottage cheese with my eggnog (yuck!) Next time I do this recipe, the strainer is a MUST!

[Cord Hurn]

Spoon Up Eggnog is awesome.
Whip up a pint of heavy cream.
Whip up four egg whites.
Mix the egg yolks with sugar (I'd start with, what, 1/8 cup?) and whatever. I don't like alcohol, so I like imitation rum extract (start with 2 teaspoons).
Fold it all together. You have to taste it and see if you need more sugar or extract. (No idea how much rum you would start with, since I don't like it.)

If you use vanilla extract instead of rum, you have the best whipped cream ever to use on your desserts.

Thanks, Fist: I made this tonight and love the texture of the resulting drink! It has avoided the whipped parts with the heavier parts separating, and I'm guessing that's because of the absence of milk in this eggnog. I've refrigerated the rest, and look forward to drinking more tomorrow!

My variation on your recipe was in using the following ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons Myers's Jamaican dark rum

Delicious!!!

[Menolly]

Spoon Up Eggnog is awesome.
Whip up a pint of heavy cream.
Whip up four egg whites.
Mix the egg yolks with sugar (I'd start with, what, 1/8 cup?) and whatever. I don't like alcohol, so I like imitation rum extract (start with 2 teaspoons).
Fold it all together. You have to taste it and see if you need more sugar or extract. (No idea how much rum you would start with, since I don't like it.)

If you use vanilla extract instead of rum, you have the best whipped cream ever to use on your desserts.

Fist, just want you to know I shared this in the Facebook group, The New York Times Cooking Community in the comments to this post word for word. I tagged you in the attribution, but I don't know if you'll be .notified if you're not a member of the group.

[Cord Hurn]

I just came across this receipt for eggnog.

https://www.gnom-gnom.com/low-carb-keto ... =t(Eggnog)

Although, since it uses artificial sweeteners, I'll call "foul" on it being paleo. But, it fits my keto woe.
Huzzah!

I just made some eggnog using that recipe that Menolly provided, with two differences, which I will explain below. But first, I will reproduce the recipe for this thread:

Keto/Paleo Eggnog

INGREDIENTS
2 cups unsweetened nut milk (almond or macadamia)
2 cups full-fat coconut milk or heavy cream
1 cinnamon stick or 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for garnish
6 egg yolks
1/2 - 3/4 cup sweetener (1/2 cup erythritol or 1/2 - 3/4 cup xylitol)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 - 1 cup dark rum or bourbon for taste

DIRECTIONS
1. Add nut milk, heavy cream or coconut milk, cinnamon and nutmeg to a medium saucepan and simmer for about 8-10 minutes to infuse. Remove from heat and set aside while you prepare the yolks.

2. Add egg yolks and sweetener to a large bowl, and using a whisk or an electric mixer (easier), beat them until light, fluffy, and most of the sweetener has dissolved (if using erythritol, some granules will remain).

3. Gradually temper the hot mixture into the egg and sugar mixture. Tempering means add the hot milk mix (very hot!) little by little to your egg mixture while whisking constantly, so your eggs don't curdle.

4. Return everything to the saucepan, and cook over medium/low heat for roughly 8-10 minutes, or until your mixture reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit or 70 degrees Celsius and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and sieve into a medium mixing bowl. Stir in vanilla and liquor of choice, to taste. Cover and transfer to the refrigerator to chill.

5. Your eggnog will continue to thicken while chilling. So give it a good stir before serving, and feel free to thin it out with a little nut milk until desired consistency is reached.

________________________________________________________

One difference I made in the recipe is due to the fact that I don't like artificial sweeteners. I have no problem understanding why people would need to use artificial sweeteners for health reasons, but those health reasons do not at present apply to me. Instead, I chose to use a 50-50 mixture of granulated monks fruit with white cane sugar. The other difference is that I didn't blend alcohol into the recipe mixture, instead choosing to take a shot of bourbon before drinking the eggnog today. That was because others with me wanted to try the eggnog, but without the alcohol, so I respected their wishes when I made up this eggnog last night.

The nut milk I used was almond. As far as the choice between heavy cream or coconut milk, I chose the coconut milk option, just to change the routine somewhat.

My verdict: it's pleasantly sweet, though the nutmeg-cinnamon flavors together seem a touch too strong for my taste buds. I missed the texture of the heavy cream, and may make this recipe again using the heavy cream option. While refrigerating this eggnog overnight thickened it slightly, it was still fairly runny and did not need any nut milk added to it to increase its pourability by reducing its viscosity.

This recipe certainly produced a pleasant beverage that is notably lighter in how it feels to drink it compared to the products of the other eggnog recipes in this thread. In terms of calories and cholesterol, this eggnog is no doubt healthier than the eggnogs produced by the other recipes in this thread.

I will probably make this one again, sometime. I think I would prefer to reduce the nutmeg amount to 1/2 teaspoon, though. The nutmeg-plus-cinnamon flavor produces a bit too much "bite" for me, whereas with the pumpkin spice eggnog the sharpness of those two spices together was offset by the relative blandness of the pumpkin pulp. This is a good recipe, though, and it's nice for people to have a healthier eggnog option!