Monday, December 28, 2015

Creamy and Delicious Eggnog, Cooked and Refined sugar free

I have been off refined sugar for almost a year now. I love it and feel great, but sometimes there are
those little things you miss, like eggnog. The holidays just make me want to sit down with a steaming cup of eggnog while watching A Muppet Christmas Carol. Since I needed eggnog with no store bought remedy in sight I scoured the internet looking for homemade options. I didn't find what I wanted and so resorted to cobbling together my own recipe. It was a total success! Even my super picky nephew loved it. This is a custard and therefore not an easy recipe and requires lots of vigilance, so be warned! It also works best if you have a candy thermometer to avoid overcooking and making eggnog flavored scrambled eggs. Good luck!

Ingredients:
6 eggs
3 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Directions:
1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup maple syrup and 1/2 tsp salt

2. Crack 6 eggs into the mixing bowl and whisk very well until homogeneous.

3. Pour 3 cups of milk into a large pot and turn the heat up to medium.

4. Pour the egg mixture into the milk and whisk very quickly.

5. Continuously whisk while it heats up. You want to get the mixture to about 150º to 160ºF. If  you have a food thermometer keep track of the heat that way, but if you don't have one simply heat the mixture until you start to see a little steam, then give it another 30 to 60 seconds to cook while whisking. You will notice that it thickens a bit and becomes smooth. It will take about 5 minutes. Stir well.

6. Take the pot off the heat as soon as the proper temp is reached. Add 1 cup of cream and 1 tsp vanilla extract.

7. Optional Step: At this point I like to strain the eggnog through a strainer and cheese cloth to make sure any lumps of egg that did not get creamed properly don't make it into the final product.

8. Add remaining spices.

9. Put into a bowl or pitcher and refrigerate until it is cold and thick, about 8 hours to overnight.

10. When ready to serve, stir or shake the eggnog well and pour into serving glasses. Dust with nutmeg.