It’s been over a month since I’ve posted anything – shame on me!

It’s not for lack of things to write about (my little carry-everywhere-notebook is full of ideas), but just a very busy schedule. So I deliberately prioritized other things over my writing.

Nevertheless, there’s been so much I’ve wanted to share that I need to start writing again. Things are still busy – perhaps even busier- but life is too short not to write!

For today, I simply want to share a new-found recipe to create a holiday classic that will impress your guests and hopefully inspire you to have a more traditional, people-focused holiday season………………

Aged Eggnog

For those of you with laying chickens, this is a particularly delightful way to use up excess eggs. For those of you that don’t, consider supporting your local farmer or buying high-quality organic eggs for this recipe. I adapted this recipe from Chowhound’s Best Eggnog. For the alcohol, I relied on my local spirits expert at the liquor store to recommend good brands for eggnog since I don’t usually drink bourbon (or cognac for that matter). Feel free to use your favorites though. If the thought of aging the nog scares you, put your fears aside. This recipe is almost a third booze – which kills nasty bacteria and preserves the dairy in the nog. Furthermore, aging allows for the flavors to fully meld, balancing the alcohol with the creaminess of the dairy. Yum.

What you’ll need:

• 12 egg yolks (reserve egg whites)
• 2 cups organic granulated sugar
• 1 liter medium-quality bourbon (we used Buckhorn Bourbon)
• 1 cup Cognac (we used Decourtet VS Cognac)
• 1 Cup Meyer’s dark rum
• 1 quart (4 cups) raw whole milk (or, if you can’t find raw milk, high quality grass fed milk)
• 1 cup heavy cream (preferably from grass fed cows)
• 2-3 vanilla bean pods, sliced vertically and peeled open
• Pinch of salt

For serving:

• 12 reserved egg whites
• 1 ½ cups heavy cream (preferable from grass fed cows)
• Nutmeg pod (for fresh grating over the eggnog)

Instructions:

• Freeze reserved egg whites in an airtight container until you are ready to imbibe eggnog
• Combine yolks and sugar in a large bowl and blend until creamy
• Add remaining ingredients and stir well to combine (don’t cheat like we did and bottle it up before stirring – it was a real pain to shake the bottle enough to mix the egg yolk mixture with the rest of the ingredients!)
• Transfer mixture to a 1-gallon glass jug and seal tightly
• Refrigerate 1-3 weeks (or, reportedly, up to a year!)

To Serve

• The night before serving, place frozen reserved egg whites in fridge to de-thaw
• When ready to serve, allow the egg whites to come to room temperature. Place egg whites into a very clean bowl and whisk until stiff peaks form, about 2-3 minutes using a stand or hand mixer. Place in large punch bowl.
• Add heavy cream to mixing bowl. Whisk on high speed until medium peaks form, about 1-2 minutes. Add to fluffed egg whites in punch bowl.
• Shake up eggnog base and then pour into punch bowl – discard vanilla bean pods. Gently whisk the eggnog together to combine with whites and cream (but don’t overwhisk or you risk deflated eggnog!)
• Serve over ice (if desired) and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.

Toast to family and friends.

Photo Credit: Homemade Eggnog 1. Katie. Licensed under creative commons license 2.0