For those who aren’t comfortable with raw Egg Nog, or who can’t find pasteurized shell eggs, this variation on yesterday’s recipe walks you through heating your mixture just enough to kill anything that might be lurking inside. The result is a little thicker, which may be preferable if you’re fond of store-bought nog, and very tasty. I’ll admit this is the first Egg Nog we made, and the first I’ve ever had, so my basis of comparison is limited to hearsay. But having tasted this recipe, I do finally understand why people go so nuts for Egg Nog every year.
This recipe should yield enough Egg Nog for 4 or 5 party guests. Also, we doubled the bourbon that’s listed here because, well, that’s just how we roll.
1/3 cup + 1 Tbs Sugar
1 pint Whole Milk
1 cup Heavy Cream
3 oz Bourbon Whiskey
1 tsp Grated Nutmeg
4 Egg Yolks
4 eggs’ worth Pasteurized Pre-Packaged Egg White
In a saucepan heat the milk, cream, and nutmeg until it just boils. Beat the egg yolks until light in texture and color. Still beating, slowly mix in 1/3 cup sugar. When milk mixture reaches a boil, immediately remove from heat. With a ladle, slowly drizzle a small amount of the hot milk mixture into the yolks while whisking briskly. This will temper the yolks so that they don’t heat too quickly. Still beating, slowly add the yolks to the saucepan with the milk mixture. If you have a thermometer handy, this combined yolk and milk mixture should be about 160° F, which is the point at which all official sources say that eggs are safe to eat (though this is really just a rule of thumb, and the bourbon should give you some leeway). Now you can mix in your bourbon and set your mixture to chill in the refrigerator. In the mean time, put your pasteurized egg whites in a bowl and use either an electric hand mixer or stand mixer to beat them until you get soft peaks. Then, still mixing, slowly add in 1 Tbs of sugar and continue beating until you get stiff peaks. Now slowly mix your chilled yolk mixture into the foamed whites. Chill and serve.
-Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown and Food Network’s Good Eats
Alton Brown's Cooked Nog - Serving suggestion: with cookies
