Receta Eggnogs!
Mise en place for aged eggnog. It’s that time of the year–and I know this because I was supposed to make the aged eggnog over Thanksgiving but got busy. Only made it last night. Takes all of five minutes once your mise en place is set. (Listen to “From Scratch” podcast on mise en place here! We’ll be back with another episode next Wednesday, 12/18). The gang will likely drink half around the holidays and do our best to save half for next year. We were only able to hide a quart last year, but we’re looking forward to tasting the year-old concoction soon. Year old eggs, year old dairy!
But we also tasted Ga-Ga’s eggnog, made by our neighbor, the estimable writer, Tripp Evans, the eggnog he grew up on in Virginia, best made the night before serving, and a little more gentle than the high-octane, aged eggnog below.
High-Octane Aged Eggnog
- 12 yolks (save whites for angel food cake!)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 liter bourbon
- 4 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup Cognac or brandy
- 1/2 cup Myers’s dark rum
- pinch of kosher salt
Combine the yolks and sugar in a large bowl and whisk until well blended and creamy.
Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
Transfer the mixture to a 1-gallon glass jar and tightly seal the lid. (Alternatively, you can bottle it.) Place in the refrigerator for 30 days. (But you’d better try a couple glasses the day after making it just to make sure it’s got the right balance, don’t you think?)
Serve topped with sweet meringue and nutmeg if you wish.
Yield: 3-1/2 quarts
Ga-Ga’s Eggnog
13 eggs, separated (why 13? because that’s what recipe says)
2 cups bourbon
2 cups dark rum
1 cup brandy
13 soup spoons of sugar (I love this one! so old school)
1 quart half-and-half
1 pint heavy cream
grated nutmeg to taste
Combine yolks, bourbon, rum and brand and refrigerate overnight.
Add all remaining ingredients except the egg whites and stir to combine.
To serve, whip the egg whites to soft peaks and fold into the eggnog. Grate more nutmeg on top if you wish.
This should make about 2 quarts of eggnog