Eggnog – Recipes, Ingredients, Styles, etc.

[viaChgo]

This year I bought some premium commercial eggnog & poured it into my ice cream maker and voila! Eggnog Ice Cream. Next time, toward the end of the freezing, I may pour in a little bourbon. I realized that eggnog is already a custardy-ice cream base, so why not make it into ice cream?

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I make French Toast with it during this time of year.

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That gives me another idea...what about making bread pudding with it? Just pour the eggnog over your bread of choice, let it soak, & bake.

edited to add:

Another thought...would eggnog work as a base for creme brulee??

Edited December 23, 2004 by viaChgo (log)

[Jaymes]

There was rum involved but also a very generous dose of Jack Daniels.

Yeah, you won't find a recipe by southern cooks that doesn't have a "generous dose" of bourbon. Our family recipe, which also adds some rum and a little brandy, certainly features bourbon as the predominate booze flavor.

In fact, no matter what time of year it is, when I inhale the aroma of bourbon, I briefly, but inevitably, think "Yum, eggnog."

Edited December 25, 2004 by Jaymes (log)

[esperanza]

I grew up in bourbon country and loved my mother's eggnog. I can't remember what vat she made it in, but once it was made, it was stored in the vegetable crispers of the refrigerator and dolloped into the Christmas Eve punchbowl with a 2-cup measuring cup. And I do mean dolloped--this eggnog almost has to be eaten with a spoon.

The recipe makes about 20-25 small punch cups of eggnog.

My Mother's Eggnog

1 dozen eggs, separated

2 1/2 cups white sugar

3 cups bourbon whiskey

1 cup rum

1 quart heavy cream

With an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks and sugar together until creamy and pale lemon color.

Little by little, add the bourbon and continue beating until fluffy. Add the rum and continue beating slowly.

Add the heavy cream and beat slowly until smooth.

With clean beater blades, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the other mixture.

Serve in punch cups with a sprinkle of fresh-ground nutmeg.

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Mother usually made 5X this recipe for the annual Christmas Eve whoopdedoo. There was usually enough left--maybe a quart or so--on Christmas morning to stir into coffee while the presents were being opened. Ah, those dear dead days.

You didn't dare mention store-bought eggnog to my mother. I loved it, though, and secretly swilled it with friends every chance I got.

Edited December 25, 2004 by esperanza (log)

[MHesse]

I tasted some 'nog' this year that had Frangelico in it. It was nice.

[KOK]

I received an email from the Knob Creek folks which had a link to their recipe for eggnog. I made a batch and substituted the Gosling's for the bourbon and it was excellent. I was, of course, a little heavy handed with the rum.

I'm barely a fair hand in the kitchen, but it wasn't too hard to make the recipe. If you don't have a thermometer, once the foam is almost completely gone (you will see only the yellow liquid), remove it from the heat. Otherwise, there will be lumps (cooked egg?) and the taste will not be the same.

Jolly, Happy, Merry!!!

Kevin

Knob Creek® Bourbon Eggnog

6 large egg yolks

¾ cup sugar

2 ½ cups milk

½ cup Knob Creek® Bourbon

1 tsp. vanilla

¼ tsp. nutmeg

Beat egg yolks and sugar in medium saucepan. Slowly beat in 2 cups of the milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thermometer registers 150°F or mixture coats the back of the metal spoon. Remove from heat; strain into pitcher. Stir in remaining milk, Knob Creek, vanilla and nutmeg. Cover and chill at least 8 hours or overnight. Sprinkle with additional nutmeg.

Makes 6-8 servings

[Ed Hamilton]

I thought holiday egg nog was always made with rum. Nice recipe, though I'd add some freshly grated nutmeg or at least some cinnamon.

[McAuliflower]

I thought holiday egg nog was always made with rum. Nice recipe, though I'd add some freshly grated nutmeg or at least some cinnamon.

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ditto on the nutmeg.

I've been steeping batches of bourbon, vodka and rum with vanilla beans since September. Our holiday eggnog testing revealed that I like the rum version better and live with one who considers rum to be inferior in this use!

I'm surprised to see an eggnog reciep that doesn't call for cream or make use of the eggwhites (though I do like my nog best when it has become less fluffy...).

[castironchef]

Actually, I prefer to use 151. I get good flavor, high octane and it doesn't cut the wonderful viscosity of great egg nog.

Oh. Freshly grated nutmeg is a must.

[elixirofthetropics]

I thought holiday egg nog was always made with rum. Nice recipe, though I'd add some freshly grated nutmeg or at least some cinnamon.

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Our family has always used bourbon whiskey for eggnog and served it with nutmeg. So, until a few years ago, I thought egg nog was only made with whiskey. I did try it once when my aunt fixed the grocer's ready-made egg nog with rum, and I didn't like it since it was too sweet for me. I also tried Southern Comfort's ready-made Egg Nog which contained whiskey, and I didn't like it either since that was also too sweet. (Using ready-made egg nog instead of from scratch makes a big difference regardless of spirit used.) Next time, I'll make a rum substitution in our family's recipe and give a new opinion. In the past we didn't cook our eggs since we added the spirit straight to the egg yolks and assumed that that would take care of any pathogens. However, after recently watching a documentary about case of egg-borne salmonella that was transferred to ice cream, I'll try to remind my father to heat the eggs next time.

(My grandfather was a tobacco auctioneer who traveled a lot to Kentucky and brought back bottles of bourbon whiskey, and he was fond of bourbon and his own special spirit. So, I guess that is why our family has used whiskey instead of rum. I personally love both whiskey and rum.)

Edited January 23, 2006 by elixirofthetropics (log)

[skidude72]

I was wondering if anyone has a good egg nog recipie.... my dad used to make a great egg nog, but i cant figure out which of the 1000+ cookbooks he has it came from, all i remeber is it called for some ridicolous am,ount of brandy/cognac... like 4 fifth. anyways... Any one have a good or classic recipie they would like to share?

Thanks.

[Marlene]

Killer Eggnog This is the one I always use.

[eje]

I used the Alton Brown one on the FoodTV website this year.

Eggnog from School of Hard Nogs

The only changes I made were, not to separate the eggs (I'm lazy), add a bit more bourbon (4 oz), and to run it through a sieve before chilling.

Quite tasty! Met with universal acclaim.

Admin: Threads merged

[slkinsey]

My family recipe comes from a clipping of an old Four Roses Whiskey advertisement. The opposite side of the page has an advertisement "introducing the 1939 new Ford."

6 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 pint heavy cream

1 pint milk

1 pint Four Roses (I use a good Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey)

1 ounce Meyers Rum

Grated Nutmeg to taste

Separate eggs. Add 1/2 cu. sugar to the yolks and beat until smooth. Add 1/2 cu. sugar to whites after beating very stiff. In a large bowl or punch bowl, mix egg whites with yolks. Stir in 1 pint heavy cream and 1 pint milk. Add the whiskey and rum. Stir thoroughly. Serve cold with grated nutmeg. Serves 10

[TallDrinkOfWater]

I used the Alton Brown one on the FoodTV website this year.

Eggnog from School of Hard Nogs

The only changes I made were, not to separate the eggs (I'm lazy), add a bit more bourbon (4 oz), and to run it through a sieve before chilling.

Quite tasty!  Met with universal acclaim.

I also used Alton's recipe, but left out the bourbon entirely (not a big fan of it, I have to say). Instead I used 4 oz of rum (Appleton V/X), 4 oz of brandy (Clear Creek -- would have used something less expensive if I'd had any on hand), and an oz. or so of homemade pimento dram, for 9+ oz. of booze. Yummy! I overwhipped the whites just a touch I think, but otherwise the only change I'd make next time is to add a little more of the pimento dram.

Another batch this weekend, definitely.

[viva]

This is our family recipe - we also beat the cream and fold in - guess we like our eggnog fluffy. And for those who like their eggnog strong, this one also includes all three cognac, bourbon and rum.

12 eggs, separated

1½ cup superfine sugar

1 qt whole milk

1½ qt heavy cream

2½ cups bourbon (Knob Creek usually)

¾ cup dark rum (Myers)

¼ cup cognac (usually end up using something like Meukow although Dad usually groans at the expense)

Freshly grated nutmeg

Beat egg yolks until thick & pale yellow. Gradually add sugar. Beat in milk & 1 qt cream (with a whisk). Add bourbon, rum, & cognac. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into eggnog. Whip remaining heavy cream until stiff & fold in. Sprinkle with nutmeg.

[Snowy is dead]

Last year a friend looked up george washington's eggnog recipe. took a few days to sit, but was delicious. Mostly brandy for the booze.

Also tried some with southern comfort. It makes me very afraid that it tasted quite good.

[nakji]

I made some for a holiday crowd this year. I used the recipe that you as the first result get if you google "eggnog recipe".

I started making it from scratch when I first moved to Korea, where commercial eggnog is unavailable. I've never looked back. I made it with eggs I bought on the street (usually the freshest here), dosed it up heavily with equal parts rum and bourbon (to kill any latent bird flu - that's after I scrubbed the shells with anti-bacterial soap). Everyone loved it, but it was a shock to everyone at the party from the UK. They claimed never to have heard of it, and kept asking if it was Advocaat. I always thought it was a traditional English punch - it's obviously not a Native American dish. Can anyone shed any light on this?

[slkinsey]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggnog

[nakji]

From Wikipedia:

It is believed that eggnog, or a very similar drink, originated in East Anglia, England. An article[1] by Nanna Rognvaldardottir, an Icelandic food expert, states that the drink adopted the "nog" part of its name from the word "noggin," a middle English phrase used to describe the strong ale, with which it was sometimes mixed. Another name for this English drink was "Egg flip".

The ingredients for the drink were too expensive and uncommon for the lower classes, but it was popular among the aristocracy. "You have to remember, the average Londoner rarely saw a glass of milk," says author and historian James Humes ("To Humes It May Concern", July 1997). "There was no refrigeration, and the farms belonged to the big estates. Those who could get milk and eggs to make eggnog mixed it with brandy or Madeira or even sherry."

Thank you, I have e-mailed them all the link.

Although it doesn't really explain why it's not popular there anymore. I assume that most Londoners have fairly free access to milk these days.

[RMChef]

This is a recipe my great grandmother started, my grandmother made, my father also made and I "improved" with premium liquors and good vanilla ice cream.

You can coddle the yolks a bit if you are squeamish about raw eggs, but frankly, if you are, you should probably switch to another drink.

6 large eggs; separated

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 qt half&half

1 qt vanilla ice cream; softened

1/2 cup brandy

1/2 cup white rum

1/2 cup Jack Daniel's whiskey

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 cups whipping cream, sweetened with 2 tsp sugar and whipped to soft peak.

Separate eggs. In a large bowl, beat egg yolks well and add sugar. Add the vanilla. Slowly add the brandy allowing it to denature the egg yolk mixture. Add the rest of the liquors slowly, mixing well with each addition. Add the softened vanilla ice cream and mix well. Add the half & half. Add the white wine. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Gently fold the whites into the egg nog mixture. Add the whipped cream and fold. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours for the flavor to develop. Store refrigerated for up to 3 days. If the egg nog begins to have a strong liquor taste, add more half & half or milk. Garnish each serving with nutmeg. BEWARE! This is potent!

[cookman]

In this link, there is a story on the NPR website of a family's recipe for egg nog. The recipe begins with beating together 6 whole eggs, 1/2 cup bourbon, 1/3 cup rum, and 1/2 cup sugar. The resulting mixture is then stored in a cool place (not the refrigerator), for one month. At that time it is mixed with sweetened whipped cream, before serving. Supposedly, the aging mellows the alcohol flavor and allows new flavors to develop.

The idea that this could be drinkable intrigued me, so I whipped up a batch, expecting to give it a month to age. After one day, I've got to say that whatever has precipitated on the bottom of the jar is a little scary looking. We'll see....

So my question is: Has anyone else tried this, and lived to talk about it?!

[sygyzy]

I am all for risky things (homemade yogurt, 100 year egg, balut, etc) but I think I'd change my mind after one day. I am not that brave.

[thirtyoneknots]

My first instinct if I were going to attempt something like this would be to use the highest proof spirits possible, for greatest preservative effect. Wouldn't be too hard to get some barrel-proof Bourbon and some Demerara 151 rum. I've never had it myself but Advocaat is basically eggs preserved in liquor, no? I'd think that's essentially what you're making here.

-Andy

[Robert Heugel]

After practically writing a novel on eggs in cocktails last night, my opinion is that this isn't a good idea. I am sure that somebody has done this and not gotten sick, but I've seen people live through a bunch of stupid stuff thanks to reality tv.

Eggs maintain their integrity because of their concealed environment, which once broken allows for the quick deterioration of the egg. Even with the high-proof liquor, I would expect this to end badly for a couple of reasons. Eggs are not like fruit, they contain high levels of protein that cannot be preserved by the addition of alcohol; formaldehyde yes, but not rum. I might be wrong about that because I am about as far from a scientist as you can get, but I think the distinction s noteworthy.

Second, unless the eggs are going to just be dropped into the nog, once agitated the egg's proteins begin to regroup near air, creating the egg foam we see on drinks such as the pisco sour. The same will occur in egg nog, though the foam may not be as developed without the extreme shaking. Either way, the egg will rise to the surface, which in my opinion is just beginning for bacteria growth. True, the egg does function as an emulsifier, but the proteins also tend to gravitate to the surface when agitated.

As you can tell from my blog, I love eggs, but even this seems to be a bit too extreme for me. I am sure that someone has figured out how to make this work, as we do have advocaat, but I wouldn't try and imitate them in a million years. Just my thoughts, though I am unsure how accurate they are.

[Snowy is dead]

I've had some home-made eggnog with rum and whiskey. The mix was intended to sit for as long as possible. The version I had was aged only three days before consmption began. Noticeable difference in the amount of booziness in the drink after only three days, so I can only imagine what a month will do.

I've seen recipes for homemade Irish cream that don't have that much booze in them. How much alchohol does it take to preserve something?

The eggnog was delicious, but made for a killer hangover. Supposedly it was George Washington's personal recipe, from ye olde internet.

Edit: I just saw the above post. Three days now seems quite reasonable.

Edited December 4, 2007 by Snowy is dead (log)