Eggnog Success! My Recipe for Eggnog
By: Keith
If you’ve consumed store bought eggnog, and that’s all you know about eggnog, you’re missing out. The real thing tastes nothing like the garbage you buy in the cartons. Last night I did it. It took two attempts, but I made good eggnog. The first was ruined by too much sugar thanks to a YouTube video where the guy in the video is clearly retarded and doesn’t know the difference between a quarter cup and a cup and a quarter. Anyway, I did it my way (by eyeballing it) and it came out great. Here’s what I did:
6 eggs (I bought organic, free-range eggs from a local farm because I’m drinking them raw and don’t want to screw around with question marks)
1 cup sugar (this is definitely a matter of taste. I used about 1 cup but I didn’t measure so I don’t know for sure).
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Ground nutmeg
¾ cup brandy
⅓ cup dark rum or whiskey or white rum (I’ve seen recipes with all of them – I used Captain Morgans Original Spiced Rum)
2 cups whipping cream (you can use either whipping cream or heavy whipping cream. I used regular whipping cream).
2 cups milk
Step 1: Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. Whisk the egg yolks and about a quarter cup of sugar together until you get a smooth liquid. In another mixing bowl, whip (preferably with a machine) the egg whites until they expand to a “frothy peak” (it takes a few minutes to really get good thick froth). Gently pour in the other 2/3 cup sugar. After that’s incorporated, add the egg yolk/sugar mix.
Step 2: Now add the brandy and Rum (or whatever), milk, vanilla extract, and half the whipping cream. Mix it all together.
Step 3: In a separate bowl whip the whipping cream to get it moderately thick. Fold it into the eggnog as the last step (I found it added a nice flavor and texture to the final product).
Step 4: Chill it or serve it sprinkled with nutmeg.
Raw Egg Warning:
There is a 1 in 20,000 chance of encountering an egg with salmonella. I decided to roll those massive dice and do my eggnog without worry. But, I did find this interesting video about whether or not the alcohol in eggnog kills salmonella. The result? It Does! But it takes three weeks to do the job (believe it or not, 3 week old alcoholic eggnog is even safer to drink than it is directly after mixing). Of course the other option is to buy pasteurized eggs (which I couldn’t find but I’m told exist).
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Great post. Just an FYI, pasteurizing eggs in the shell only treats the outside. There is no process that treats the egg inside. If you are concerned about what might be on the shell (and sometimes an ill chicken can pass salmonella on through the egg laying “chute”), there’s a process to pasteurize your eggs at home that’s simple. http://www.christonium.com/culinaryreview/How_To_Make_Pasteurized_Eggs_Cooking_With_Raw_Eggs
Enjoy your eggnog!
Tammy: That’s interesting. I was told by our local dairy farm that pasteurizing eggs also treated the inside of the egg without actually cooking it (I had a big conversation with them about pasteurization about 3 months ago). But, they don’t sell pasteurized eggs, and I’ve never actually had any experience with that myself. I have heard about the pasteurization method at home though, although I’m not actually worried enough to go through the effort
Still, good advice for those who might be concerned. Thanks!
Interesting! I did some research and found what I posted, but it’s funny that those in the know say otherwise! I think if you follow safe handling procedures, most food borne illnesses are not going to be a problem.
Love your blog! Thanks for the reply
Tammy: I think we’re both partially right. Since an egg is a contained unit (can’t be stirred like milk) the pasteurization process with eggs greatly reduces the chances of salmonella, but it doesn’t nearly eliminate it like with milk. To heat the center of an egg would necessitate cooking the part closer to the heat. So I get the feeling we’re both right on this one
. I think that must be why finding pasteurized eggs in the store is almost impossible. I like the idea of doing it at home though!
Actually, now that I re-read your original comment, I think that’s exactly what you were saying. So — hmmm, it seems you and I are saying the same thing
Keith– your eggnog recipe looks delicious! It’s like the difference between home-grown veggies vs the store-bought ones that taste like cardboard. I wonder why the home-made one tastes so much better.
YES!!!!! I was hoping you’d post an egg nog recipe after reading the yummy buttered apple cider one! I can’t wait to try this! I’m not too concerned about the egg problem either. Oh I’m excited! : D
Gee, with all the back-patting here I hate to bring up reality, but… A company holds patents for pasteurizing eggs in the shell. The process uses warm water and pasteurizes eggs all the way to center at more than a 5 log reduction (that’s 100,000 fold). It’s as safe as pasteurized milk. (You can try to do this at home, but there are no guarantees and you’ll likely end up with slightly cooked eggs.)
Organic, free-range, local eggs do not equal safe. Salmonella bacteria is found in the intestinal tract of most farm animals. It does migrate to the ovaries of hens, and it does not make them sick. Chickens walk, peck, scratch and dust bathe in their own crap. The only way to ensure that an egg is safe to eat raw is to use a pasteurized egg. Otherwise, it’s a roll of the dice.
Gerald: Sounds like you know your eggs. But, the reason I used free range organic super duper eggs was more for taste than avoiding salmonella — and it does make a fairly sizable difference. Since pasteurized eggs are not sold in Safeway, Whole Foods, or Albertsons, I’m guessing there isn’t much of a market for them. Thanks for snapping us all back to “reality” though. Just an FYI for internet politeness — If you want to make a point, no matter how valid, you might want to lay off the opening snarkiness if you want to be listened too. Honestly, all I hear is your first sentence. The rest? Meh…
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k le echan licor yo keria hacer otro ponche mi mama ya me dijo como era y esto es solo basura de receta por k eso es solo para alcolicos