I was a bad blogger last night and didn't take any photos of the eggnog. Instead, I enjoyed eggnog with my family.
The recipe from my childhood? Turned out to be just as good as I remembered. Just as creamy impossibly thick. Of course, I probably got the seasonings all wrong, but it worked!
What makes the difference is whipping the cream. A lot of eggnog is made with just straight cream and milk, using very cold cream and whipping it makes a frothy, foamy, thick eggnog. When you're 10, it's impressively good. When you're *coughcough* tyone, it's still very good, and you can add rum!
This recipe is made to serve 4 if you pour full cups. If you do half cup servings, it will serve 8. Why so small? Because one of my friends was very sad there were no small batch recipes for eggnog she could find, and I tested the recipe just for my family of 4.
1 tsp. vanilla - or 2 if you love vanilla like I do!
Combine milk, spices and sugar in saucepan, bring to a light boil, and whisk constantly. Let simmer for about 10 minutes while whisking. Turn off heat, and stir in vanilla.
Pour 1/4 cup of milk mixture SLOWLY into the egg yolks while whisking to temper the yolks. This keeps them from cooking on contact with the rest of the hot liquid. Pour that mixture into the pan and whisk it to mix in the egg yolks completely. Chill milk mixture.
in a chilled bowl. Whip it to soft peaks (when you lift the mixer, whisk or egg beater, peaks will form and slump). Fold in the chilled milk mixture.
So here's the printable recipe card- click on the images for larger versions.
This is the first year that my family is actually enjoying eggnog... the carton kind, from Trader Joes. They are eager to try some home made... I love that they appreciate the goodness of home made. Okay, so we are going to make your recipe our first try at home made eggnog, and I guess we're skipping the rum. Or maybe there'll be a teeny bit in my cup! Cheers!