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By
Diane Forrest
Some of your big holidays have their own special
menus. New Year's Day has black eyed
peas and turnip greens, Easter is ham and tater salad and deviled eggs. The 4th
of July is for hamburgers, hot dogs and ribs while Thanksgiving is turkey,
dressing and pumpkin pie. Then you have Christmas. Some of the best treats of all are only found
during the Christmas season. Friends and
neighbors are busy cooking up their special recipe to send to loved ones, there
are cakes, pies, cookies and homemade candy everywhere. Some of the things that can only be found at
my house during the holidays are fruitcake, party mix (we call it trash)
snowball cookies and fudge. But what can you wash it all down with?
My husband loved the start of the holidays because he
knew there would be egg nog flowing soon.
As soon as he saw the first container in the milk case at the store he
would grab some up and then drink it until there was no more left on the
shelves. Every year my family would
gather around and drink a toast with egg nog out of special glasses that were
only used for that toast.
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Egg nog is a traditional holiday drink made with milk or
cream, sugar and eggs. Alcohol such as
rum or brandy may also be added along with a garnishment of cinnamon and
nutmeg. It is available in the stores
begining around Thanksgiving and lasting til New Year's, but without the
alcohol added. There are a few theories to how egg nog actually got its name.
One theory is that egg nog was at first called "egg n' grog" which
eventually got shortened to "egg nog." Another theory is that its
name traces back to the old English word for strong ale, "nog." This
theory suggests that the combination of the words "egg" and
"nog" refers to any drink that contains both eggs and strong alcohol.
Eggnog is available in your grocery store, however if you
like it during the year, you can make it yourself. Below is a recipe from Alton Brown, if you
want to make yourself during the year.
Whether you buy it or make it yourself, this Christmas Eve, drink a
toast to your health, family, friends and all the blessings you have received
during the year. Merry Christmas!
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Eggnog
Ingredients:
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
1 pint whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
3 ounces bourbon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
4 egg whites*
Directions:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg yolks until
they lighten in color. Gradually add the 1/3 cup sugar and continue to beat
until it is completely dissolved. Add the milk, cream, bourbon and nutmeg and
stir to combine.
Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and
beat to soft peaks. With the mixer still running gradually add the 1 tablespoon
of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
Whisk the egg whites into the mixture. Chill and serve.
Cook's Note: For cooked eggnog, follow procedure below.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg yolks until
they lighten in color. Gradually add the 1/3 cup sugar and continue to beat
until it is completely dissolved. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, over high heat, combine the milk,
heavy cream and nutmeg and bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove
from the heat and gradually temper the hot mixture into the egg and sugar
mixture. Then return everything to the pot and cook until the mixture reaches
160 degrees F. Remove from the heat, stir in the bourbon, pour into a medium
mixing bowl, and set in the refrigerator to chill.
In a medium mixing bowl, beat the egg whites to soft
peaks. With the mixer running gradually add the 1 tablespoon of sugar and beat
until stiff peaks form. Whisk the egg whites into the chilled mixture.
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