I made some egg nog from scratch, you can too!

[TIG]

Alton Brown is my cooking hero. I almost always alter a recipe and it makes it better. Not with Alton Brown's recipes. I have never once been able to improve on AB's stuff.

Today I tried one of his recipes and it came out amazing again. Not only that it will age well to the point that it should be perfect about the time my family gets here for X-Mas.

Here it is... Alton Brown's Egg Nog.
http://altonbrown.com/eggnog-recipe/

Ingredients

1. 12 large eggs (pasteurized if you need peace of mind)
2. 1 pound sugar
3. 1 pint half-n-half
4. 1 pint whole milk
5. 1 pint heavy cream
6. 1 cup Jamaican rum
7. 1 cup cognac
8. 1 cup bourbon
9. 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (plus more for serving)
10. 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

1. Separate the eggs and store the whites for another purpose.
2. Beat the yolks with the sugar and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl until the mixture lightens in color and falls off the whisk in a solid "ribbon."
3. Combine dairy, booze and salt in a second bowl or pitcher and then slowly beat into the egg mixture.
4. Move to a large glass jar (or a couple of smaller ones) and store in the fridge for a minimum of 2 weeks. A month would be better, and two better still. In fact, there's nothing that says you couldn't age it a year, but I've just never been able to wait that long. (And yes, you can also drink it right away.)
5. Serve in mugs or cups topped with a little extra nutmeg grated right on top.

After I made it I had to try a cup. This is dangerous stuff, but man is it good. You can barely taste the alcohol and only at the beginning of the sip or glug of drinking it. The follow through and aftertaste of each drink is just nog. I can't imagine how good this will be after it mellows for 3 weeks.

Yes there is a lot of sugar. I was surprised that 12 egg yolks could combine into 1 pound of sugar and make a liquid but it did. Just keep stirring for a while. Using a whisk was a godsend.

Yes there is a lot of booze. 3 cups of booze to be exact. It is surprisingly not strong though in the finished product. I used a very mellow bourbon because I am not a huge fan of spice. The Jamaican rum (Meyers) had enough itself for me. I used Hennessy for the Cognac and Copper City for the bourbon. Copper City is a local bourbon here in AZ that is nice and mellow. If you want a mellow bourbon that you can keep for drinking by itself later I suggest Angel's Envy. It will run you $40 to $50 and is well worth it. Very smooth with some fruity flavors in it.

I found some cool bottles at World Market to put the finished nog in. Here is a pic of what awaits my family this X-Mas.

Le bon lait means: the good milk. Isn't that appropriate.

 

[Crake]

Man, me and my college room mates would make spiked eggnog from scratch every year. I haven't done it in a while, but I should. Being lactose intolerant it is a risky maneuver but well worth the risk of diarrhea

 

[tr1age]

YUM!

 

[Euchale]

I remember my mom always making some when I was a kid, and me not being allowed to drink it. I probably should give it a try and make some.