One of the many benefits of raising backyard chickens is the knowledge that the eggs I cook and bake with are fresh and have been handled properly.
I feel confident making recipes that include partially cooked eggs as long as I am using eggs laid by our hens and try to include many varied egg dishes in our family's weekly menus as well as our holiday menus.
Eggnog is a holiday tradition at our house, as I'm sure it is as yours.
Our fresh eggs, along with some scraped vanilla bean and freshly ground nutmeg, make my eggnog truly a guilty pleasure guaranteed to deliver plenty of holiday cheer.
Adapted from a combination of Martha Stewart's Classic Eggnog recipe and Emeril's Eggnog recipe, I think you will agree that my eggnog is worthy to be served all through the holiday season to special friends and family.
It's a bit more work than traditional eggnog because we're beating egg whites and also heavy cream to fold into the nog, but I think it's worth the extra effort.
(My recipe does contain alcohol, but please feel free to just omit the liquor if you want to make a family-friendly version.)
How to Make the Creamiest Homemade Eggnog
Makes approximately 3 quarts.Whisk the 8 eggs plus 4 additional yolks with the sugar in a medium bowl until pale yellow and thick. Reserve the four egg whites.
Heat the 2 cups heavy cream, milk, and scraped vanilla bean in a large saucepan over medium-low heat, whisking until hot.
Add about a cup of the milk mixture into the egg mixture and whisk to blend, then pour the egg/milk mixture into the hot milk in the saucepan and continue to cook, whisking, for about 3 to 5 minutes, or until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. (The mixture should be heated to 160 degrees to kill any bacteria in the raw eggs.)
Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl and allow to cool for a few minutes. Add the vanilla bean paste, nutmeg, cardamom, and liquors to the eggnog and stir well.
In a small bowl or using a mixer, beat the 4 egg whites until soft peaks form, and then gently fold the egg whites into the eggnog.
In a clean chilled bowl, beat the remaining 1/2 cup heavy cream to soft peaks and fold it into the eggnog.
Refrigerate until chilled, then garnish with additional fresh grated nutmeg and a cinnamon stick and serve. You can also dollop the top with the whipped cream instead of folding it into the eggnog. Your choice.
If you choose to omit the alcohol, the recipe becomes kid-friendly, but remember that the alcohol helps the eggnog keep longer - for weeks some even claim! But non-alcoholic versions should be consumed within a day, and for safety reasons, I try to use up the spiked version within 3 days.
This cocktail recipe is intended for adults of the legal drinking age in your country of residence. Please drink responsibly. Do not drink and drive.
©2012 by Fresh Eggs Daily, Inc and updated in 2024 for Coop to Kitchen. All rights reserved. www.cooptokitchen.com
