Homemade Eggnog

After making homemade eggnog, you'll never go back to store-bought.

That sickingly sweet, corn syrupy, gloppy yellow stuff they call eggnog can't hold a candle to this stuff. Even professed eggnog haters (like I was, formerly), will love it. We make it in big batches so we have enough to share when friends stop by, or so there's plenty for us. (Ahem.)



Eggnog
adapted from The Joy of Cooking (basically, I left out all the booze)

Ingredients:
3 cups whole milk, divided
3 cups heavy cream, divided
12 large egg yolks
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp. freshly grated or ground nutmeg
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract

Instructions:
In a bowl, stir together 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of cream.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar and nutmeg until well combined.  Set aside.

In a saucepan, heat the remaining 2 cups cream and 2 cups milk until very hot.  Gradually add to the egg yolks/sugar mixture to temper the eggs.  Pour everything back into the saucepan and cook until the temperature reaches 170 degrees F.  Strain into a clean bowl and add reserved milk/cream.  Pour into storage containers.  (I use quart canning jars.  It will take 2 jars.)  Let chill until ready to serve.

Keeps refrigerated up to 2 weeks.  But it's probably best to use it within a week.

Variations:

If it suits your fancy, you could add spirits to the egg nog.  The original recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups.  Or you could use rum or brandy extract--2 tsp. should do nicely.

You can use low-fat milk and light cream, just be extra careful that it doesn't boil when you are heating it, or it will curdle and separate.

For a fun fizzy drink, mix half egg nog and half lemon-lime soda or sparkling water.

If you like your egg nog less sweet, leave out 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the sugar.  Be extra careful while you are cooking the eggnog that it doesn't curdle.  Sugar helps prevent that. Print this post