Martha Stewart's Old Fashioned Eggnog

I don't know about anybody else but I've been a bit Christmas food-ed out this week.  It was our turn to have Christmas at home this year but somehow that ended up meaning it was Christmas at my Sis In Laws with me still cooking the meal.  I preped and part cooked everything at home (it took 2 full days in advance!!!) and then finished everything off in Bathgate.  After all of that it has been all I can do to look at leftovers let alone bake anything else to add to the pile or blog about it.  I was worried I had started to loose my kitchen mojo but thankfully a quick flick through the latest bon appetit last night has rekindled my kitchen love affair and I can even start to watch cooking shows now ... so long as there is no mention of turkey or Brussels Sprouts!!!  Hopefully in the weeks that follow I can bring myself to share the recipes with you, the meal was yummy just far more labour intensive than anticipated!

And so to Martha's eggnog.  This was to be our tipple of choice on Christmas Eve but neither Hubby or I could muster much enthusiasm for it so I made it on Tuesday night instead.  My first experience of eggnog was as an exchange student, at a Christmas party in a posh American house right after the hero of the local high school ice hockey team had taught me to ice skate on the frozen pond out the back ... OK, so it wasn't me!  I got rather swept away in one of those teen romance novels where an Australian exchange student fell head over heels for the ice hockey guy who just happened to live next door.  At Christmas his parents threw a big party and served eggnog.  Swoon, flutter, be still my beating heart!  Ever since I've always wanted to sample eggnog - I am sure most 'normal' teenage girls would have wanted to learn to ice skate on the arm of the fit ice hockey player, but not me, it was the eggnog that had me hook, line and sinker!!

Fast forward a few hundred years and I discovered a copy of Martha Stewart's Holiday Handbook while out present shopping and decided to treat myself to a copy.  As soon as I saw the recipe I knew I was going to give it a go and I am so pleased I did, it lives up to every teenage expectation I ever had of it!  Its very rich and decadent but silky smooth and sweet with it.  O. M. G!!!

Old Fashioned Eggnog
5 large egg yolks
150g caster sugar
470ml + 385ml milk
230ml double cream
1 cup dark rum (I used frangelico, feel free to use whatever tipple you like though, Grand Marnier would work well)
Whole nutmeg, for grating (I used grated chocolate)

Prepare an ice water bath.  Whisk egg yolks and sugar with an electric mixer on med-high speed until very thick and pale yellow, 3-5 mins.  Meanwhile, heat 470ml milk in a medium saucepan until beginning to steam.

Add half the hot milk to the egg yolk mixture and whisk until blended. Stir into the remaining hot milk in the saucepan and cook the mixture over a low heat, stirring constantly, until it is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.

Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the cream.  Pass the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a medium bowl and set in the ice bath until chilled, stirring occasionally.  Stir in remaining 385ml milk and the rum.  Transfer the eggnog to a large punch bowl or individual glasses.

Serves 8-10
Martha's Holiday Handbook, 2011

Martha then goes on to whip some more cream to soft peak stage and she then serves the eggnog with dollops of whipped cream topped with a grating of nutmeg.  Trust me, the eggnog is plenty rich enough without another serving of cream artistically swirled on the top, but if the idea grabs you then go for it.  Also, I didn't add the booze to the mixture as described above, as Hubby originally wanted rum and I wanted frangelico, so I added a half shot of our chosen booze to the serving glass and then just mixed it in well.  Happy sipping ;0)