American Eggnog Recipes

EGGNOG

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the 1/3 cup sugar and continue to beat until it is completely dissolved. Add the milk, cream, bourbon and nutmeg and stir to combine.
• Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat to soft peaks. With the mixer still running gradually add the 1 tablespoon of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
• Whisk the egg whites into the mixture. Chill and serve.
• Cook's Note: For cooked eggnog, follow procedure below.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the 1/3 cup sugar and continue to beat until it is completely dissolved. Set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, over high heat, combine the milk, heavy cream and nutmeg and bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and gradually temper the hot mixture into the egg and sugar mixture. Then return everything to the pot and cook until the mixture reaches 160 degrees F. Remove from the heat, stir in the bourbon, pour into a medium mixing bowl, and set in the refrigerator to chill.
• In a medium mixing bowl, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. With the mixer running gradually add the 1 tablespoon of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Whisk the egg whites into the chilled mixture.

EARLY AMERICAN EGGNOG

Steps:

• Pour the brandy, sherry, rum, and whiskey into a bowl.
• Place the egg yolks and egg whites into two separate, large mixing bowls. Set the egg whites aside. Beat the egg yolks until light and frothy. Gradually beat in the sugar until the egg mixture is light colored. Slowly beat in the liquor mixture. With the mixer still running, pour in the milk and heavy cream until thoroughly blended.
• Using a clean beater, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the milk mixture. Pour into two clean, gallon-size plastic milk containers. Refrigerate at least 5 days, or 10 days for an even smoother taste. Shake the container occasionally to keep the alcohol from separating.
• To serve, pour the eggnog into a punch bowl. Whisk to blend milk mixture, add the quart of vanilla ice cream, and garnish with nutmeg.

NONALCOHOLIC EGGNOG

Steps:

• Whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, sugar and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl.
• Heat the milk and 3/4 cup of the cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the liquid starts to steam; remove from the heat.
• Whisk about 1 cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture, then pour the milk-egg mixture back into the saucepan. Return the saucepan to medium heat, and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and a thermometer reads 165 degrees F, about 5 minutes.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat, and stir in the vanilla and nutmeg. Strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a medium bowl, and let it cool at room temperature until it is no longer hot, about 1 hour. Refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours up to 3 days.
• When ready to serve, whip the remaining 3/4 cup cream with an electric mixer in a large bowl to medium peaks. Then, while whisking, slowly pour in the cold milk-egg mixture. The eggnog should be creamy and thicker than heavy cream. Serve with a light sprinkle of nutmeg and lemon zest if using.

OLD-FASHIONED EGGNOG

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan, whisk together the eggs, sugar and salt. Gradually add 1 qt. milk. Cook and stir over low heat until a thermometer reads 160°, about 25 minutes. Pour into a large bowl; stir in vanilla, nutmeg and remaining milk. Place bowl in an ice-water bath; stir frequently until cool. If mixture separates, process in a blender until smooth. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours., When ready to serve, beat cream in a bowl on high until soft peaks form; whisk gently into cooled mixture. Pour eggnog into a chilled 5-qt. punch bowl. If desired, top with dollops of whipped cream, sprinkle with additional nutmeg and serve with cinnamon sticks.

MARTHA'S CLASSIC EGGNOG

Steps:

• Beat yolks in a very large bowl until thick and pale. Slowly beat in sugar. Whisk in milk and 2 cups cream. Mix in bourbon, rum, and Cognac. Cover, and refrigerate for up to 1 day.
• Just before serving, beat whites until stiff peaks form. Fold whites into eggnog. Whisk remaining 1 cup cream until stiff peaks form, and fold into eggnog. (Alternatively, you can fold half the whipped cream into eggnog, and top with remaining half.) Sprinkle with nutmeg.

AMERICAN EGGNOG

Steps:

• Whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar for a few minutes with an electric whisk until pale, light and fluffy. Gradually whisk in the rum or bourbon a little at a time, then whisk in the milk. The mixture will separate over time, so it may need to be whisked again
• In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Fold the boozy egg mixture into the whites very gradually. Finally, whip the cream until it just holds its shape and fold that into the mixture as well.
• Sweeten to taste with extra sugar if you wish. Ladle into punch glasses and serve with a dusting of nutmeg.

CLASSIC EGGNOG

Steps:

• Separate the egg yolks from the whites. In a stand mixer, beat the whites on high speed until transformed into a meringue-like consistency with soft peaks.
• In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the milk, cream, sugar, bourbon, rum and Cognac or brandy until a smooth texture is achieved. Gently fold in the beaten egg whites until combined.
• Transfer eggnog into a large serving bowl. Chill overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
• To serve, ladle a few ounces into a mug or glass and grate fresh nutmeg over the surface. For ideal flavor, mix will keep in the refrigerator up to two weeks, but can last longer.