Oh baby, have I got a treat in store for you today! Eggnog. Dare I say it is even the perfect eggnog. There's no rum here, and it is cooked so it is completely family friendly. Seriously, I'm dying here. It is so delicious! I don't even want to think about how many times I'm going to make this in the next couple of months because it'll sound absolutely sinful. This is holiday decadence at its finest.
Last year we didn't get any eggnog. [gasp!] I kept putting off buying it so we would only indulge on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. And then....the stores were sold out. I was going to make my own and then just settled for hot chocolate instead. Don't get me wrong, the hot chocolate is mind-blowing good. But there's something about that glass of eggnog you chug down on Christmas Eve while you listen to see if the kids are finally asleep yet. I vowed I wouldn't miss it this year and that we would have our rightful share of eggnog. When I saw it appear in the grocery stores the last couple weeks I knew it was time to experiment with my own. And now I'm ready to share it with you! Enjoy!
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups milk
4 cinnamon sticks
1/8 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp vanilla
7 egg yolks
3/4 cup white sugar
2 cups heavy cream (or half and half for a light version)
2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp nutmeg
Instructions
1. Put the milk, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and 1/2 tsp vanilla into a large saucepan. Put it over the lowest heat setting on your stove for 5 minutes.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar for 1 minute.
3. Turn the heat under the milk up to medium-high heat. Stir the milk constantly until it just starts to boil then immediately turn off the heat.
4. Slowly whisk in about 1/4 of the hot milk into the egg/sugar mixture. Then pour all of the egg/sugar mixture back into the saucepan and whisk it all together. Put it over medium heat, whisking constantly, for 3 minutes. It will thicken a bit.
5. Pour the hot eggnog into a large bowl or beverage container and let cool at room temperature for 1 hour.
6. After 1 hour, stir in the heavy cream, vanilla, and nutmeg. Store in the fridge and allow to cool for at least 4 hours before serving.
