I have added something to the menu that I have been wanting to add for a long long time.
Eggnog.
Normally, it seems that people only drink eggnog during the winter holidays. But I love it all year long. However, I don't really care for the eggnog you find at the grocery store. Most people I know agree with me that it's too "gloopy". Is that a word? Well, it is now because I'm using it. By gloopy, I mean it's too thick, the texture's not quite right, and the flavor always seems a little artificial to me.
For my eggnog, I heat up the mixture of egg yolks, sugar, cream, milk, salt and vanilla to between 175 and 180 F. Then it chills for a long time. As is chills, it gets better. And when I pour it into a glass and dust it with nutmeg, I can almost taste it even before I bring the glass to my lips.
Eggnog really is amazing when it's cooked and chilled just right. At least I think so. I think most people either love it or hate it. And that's OK. Everyone has different tastes.
It's on the menu, and I will put it on a weekly offering sometime very soon, in time for Christmas.
I saw on Tasting History an 18th century eggnog that didn't heat the eggs at all. I had never seen that before. It had a huge amount of alcohol added, so I guess that took care of the salmonella risk??
ReplyDeleteI tried to veganize eggnog once but I did it wrong and got something pasty that tasted like sweet fried eggs, which was delicious but for the wrong reasons.
Eggnog with no eggs ... fascinating.
DeleteAt least I assume you mean no eggs when you say "veganize".
DeleteYa. You can get vegan eggnog in stores, but it's very sweet and not fatty or rich, just a thickened dairy substitute with lots of sugar and spices. That said, I didn't do much better; besides, I never had homemade eggnog and I haven't had storebought in probably at least 15 years, so I'm not even certain what I'm aiming for.
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