Homemade Eggnog
My mom always made the best eggnog at Christmas – thick, creamy, and rich. To me, it was similar to melted vanilla ice cream. It’s kind of amazing no one ever seemed to get sick from salmonella even though we were using raw eggs. However, after a bout of salmonella this summer when I made an ice cream recipe that called for raw eggs, I started thinking about how one could pasteurize a homemade eggnog recipe. I realized that the recipes for eggnog and vanilla ice cream were very similar so why not heat it the same way to kill the bacteria? Hence this recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy or “whipping” cream
- 1/3 cup maple syrup (or 6 tablespoons light brown sugar)
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Optional: rum flavoring or nutmeg
Directions
- In a saucepot over medium heat, bring milk to a simmer (steaming and little bubbles around the edge) then remove from heat.
- Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks and maple syrup or brown sugar.
- Whisk a quarter cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolk mixture, pouring it in slowly as you whisk continuously.
- Do that 2 more times, to temper the egg yolks.
- Now stir the egg yolk mixture into the saucepot.
- Heat over medium heat until the custard mixture steams again, stirring constantly. Do not boil.
- Remove from heat and chill thoroughly.
- When ready to serve, blend in the cream, salt, and vanilla. Using a blender is a great way to give it an extra froth. You can also whip the cream before stirring in the chilled custard.
- Enjoy
Melora Johnson's Muse 