Homemade Eggnog

I never really thought about making eggnog at home before, but the Pastry Queen swore that it was well worth it, and I think I have to agree with her. I've never really bothered with eggnog from the store -- I would take a small sip, shrug my shoulders and move on with my life -- it was just never really interesting to me. But this is rich, creamy, custardy, yummy and packs a pretty good punch to boot. I only had a very small glass, but it was a hit all around here.

Making the eggnog -- or any custard on the stove -- is really a two-person job, because it is difficult to slowly pour anything while whisking something else -- doing all of that on top of the hot stove by yourself would probably be a disaster. Well, other more coordinated people might be able to get away with it, but for me it would be a disaster. Chris did most of the work on the eggnog, and I was just assisting. He also came up with the idea for the cool glass for the picture, and took the picture too. :)

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups heavy cream

6 large eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

pinch of kosher salt

1/4 cup Myer's dark rum

1/2 cup whiskey (preferably Crown Royal) or bourbon

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tps freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for garnish

In a large saucepan, heat 2 1/2 cups of the cream over medium-low heat until it begins to steam but not boil. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar and salt. Using a heat proof measuring cup, measure out 1 cup of the hot cream. Gradually pour it into the egg mixture to temper, whisking constantly. In a slow, steady stream, pour the egg-cream mixture back into the saucepan with the hot cream. Continue to cook, whisking constantly over medium-low heat, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve into a large bowl and let stand until cool, at least 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Stir in the rum, whiskey, vanilla and the 1 tsp nutmeg. Finish preparing or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

To serve, use an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment to beat the remaining 1 cups cream until soft peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into the eggnog mixture. Transfer the egg nog to a pitcher and serve immediately. Top each serving with a sprinkle of fresh nutmeg.