Savory Stiletto

One the things I never thought I would enjoy growing up was eggnog. I know it is the traditional Christmas/Holiday drink, but I’m not a fan of just any creamy drink. Especially ones with eggs in them. Every time I’d pass by the eggnog in the dairy section, my tummy would turn just a little bit.

After hearing a checkout lady at Jewel describe eggnog to a younger girl bagging there as “warm creamy goodness”, I knew I had to try it out. Here’s the deal, as girlie as I am, I try not to be super girlie indecisive. I guess it is just something all women have built into the genetic code. Let me set the scene….

There is a thin layer of ice covering everything outside Christmas morning. Having woken up with a marching band of monsters in my stomach, I resolved not to drink anything except water or Gatorade all day on Christmas. So when the call came, “Is there anything we can get from the store?” , my response was simply, “purple Gatorade please.”.
Little did I know, about 5 hours later, all I would want is eggnog.

The problem wasn’t that I wanted eggnog, or even that I was sure if I would like it. No, the problem was, we were in a house about 20 miles from civilization on back country roads covered in ice. Not exactly like we could pop down to the grocery store and grab a gallon. Plus it was Christmas, so I’m pretty sure everything was closed.

Fortunately, everything we needed to make eggnog, we had! Except the brandy/cognac that is supposed to go in the ‘big kid eggnog’. Have no fear, we have dark rum leftover from the Mai Tai’s! So I leave you, with a few weeks left for eggnog, with my kicked up naughty eggnog. Enjoy! Best savored around a warm fire.

My ‘Elf’ inspired Eggnog

• 8 eggs – yolks and whites separated
• ½ cup sugar
• ½  cup PURE maple syrup (bet you were wondering where the Elf inspiration came from, watch the movie if you still don’t get it)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 pints heavy cream
• 1 pint whole milk
• 1 pint half and half
• 1 cup Meyers Dark Rum (or any dark rum you have on hand)
• ½ cup sugar

Separate the egg whites and yolks. In a large bowl, whip the egg whites until the are firm, add the sugar, and whip to incorporate the sugar.

In a large pot, bring ½ cup sugar, ½ cup pure maple syrup, cream, milk, half and half, and vanilla to a boil. While that is coming to a boil, beat the yolks until they are nicely blended.

When the milk mixture comes to a boil, remove from the heat, and while whisking the egg yolks VIGOROUSLY, add a small amount of the milk mixture until it is completely incorporated with the eggs. If you skip this step, you’ll end up with some scrambled eggs. Not a good thing!

Add the egg yolks and small portion of the milk BACK into the large pot with the milk mixture. Continue to vigorously whisk until everything is incorporated.  Add the rum, then WHISK in the egg white/sugar that has already been whipped. Once combine, either enjoy hot, or place in the fridge or freeze and let chill a little bit.

My thoughts: I’m glad I had a few extra sets of hands in the kitchen, that’s for sure! I put my eggnog in the freezer, slowly sneaking sips here and there, but by the end of the night, the eggnog had turned into an awesomely delicious milkshake! WOW! The rum really popped and brought out just enough of the sweetness from the syrup. I have seriously been missing out my whole life! I’m already looking forward to the holidays next year just so I can make this again!