Eggnog. REAL Eggnog

Real eggnog. You know, eggnog that has real eggs and milk in it? The eggs are cooked, so you have no excuses to avoid buying the boxed crap.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 6 hours 35 minutes

Servings 12

Ingredients

4 cups Milk partly skim
dash ground cloves
1 vanilla bean split
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
12 egg yolks
1 1/2 cup sugar
light rum or 1 tsp rum extract
4 cups 18% table cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Instructions

In a heavy-bottomed soup pot, combine the milk, ground cloves, split vanilla bean, and cinnamon. Heat very slowly over the lowest heat, whisking frequently, until nearly simmering. Remove from heat.
Separate the yolks from the eggs, and discard whites or refrigerate promptly. With a whisk, beat the yolks well for a minute. Add the sugar and whisk thoroughly, until the yolks become a lighter shade and almost fluffy.
Temper the egg yolks by adding ladles of the hot (but not boiling) milk mixture one to two at a time to the eggs, whisking thoroughly before adding more.
Once all the milk has been added to the eggs, return the egg and milk mixture to the large pot over medium heat. Whisk constantly for approximately five minutes, until the eggs begin to thicken. The eggs must not be allowed to reach a near-boiling temperature. Remove from heat once thickening occurs.
Pour through a fine sieve into a serving bowl to remove any small curdles that may have formed. Add in cream, vanilla, and nutmeg. Refrigerate 6 hours to overnight before serving.

Recipe Notes

For alcoholic eggnog, START with approximately 1-1 1/4 cups light rum (the clear kind) or bourbon, or allow guests to add their own so that some is safe for the kids.
Double the rum if you like to breathe fire and achieve the maximum inebriation to drink ratio while enjoying your eggnog (some do; we won't judge, but DO take a taxi home).
For non-alcoholic eggnog, you may wish to add 1-2 tsp. rum extract in lieu of alcohol. Why you would want to do this is beyond me, but just in case you like the taste of rum without the fun side effects...