Classic Holiday Eggnog
Recipe from Delish.com
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Milk , whole milk is best
- 1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon , plus more for garnish
- 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 6 Egg Yolks , separated
- 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Cup Heavy Cream
- 1/3 Cup Bourbon or Rum
- Whipped Cream , for serving
Instructions
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In a small saucepan over low heat, combine milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla and slowly bring mixture to a low boil.
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Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk egg yolks with sugar until yolks are pale in color. Slowly add hot milk mixture to egg yolks in batches to temper the eggs and whisk until combined.
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Return mixture to saucepan and cook over medium heat until slightly thick (and coats the back of a spoon) but does not boil. (If using a candy thermometer, mixture should reach 160º.)
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Remove from heat and stir in heavy cream and booze.
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Refrigerate until chilled
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When ready to serve, garnish with whipped cream and cinnamon.
Recipe Notes
Do you cook the eggs?!
Not exactly: you temper them. Tempering eggs means you slowly add hot liquid to them to raise their temperature to avoid the risk of scrambling them. With eggnog, you warm up a mixture of milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg and then slowly add that mixture to whisked egg yolks until it's completely combined. If you whisk in the yolks right to the saucepan, you'll likely end up with some egg curds (gross!).
How do you know when it's ready?
Once you temper the egg yolk-milk mixture, you return it to the stove and cook over medium heat until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If you have a candy thermometer, it should reach 160º.