Eggnog is one of my family’s holiday traditions. My dad makes it every year. He used to give bottles of it to the neighbors with printed tags that had a little egg with legs that said “NOG,” so I asked him to dig up the jpeg for a nostalgic garnish! He got the original recipe for his eggnog from this great Louisiana cookbook called Talk About Good. It was published by the Lafayette Junior League in 1967, and it’s still in print and available on Amazon. My family’s copy is ancient, stained, and heavily annotated – particularly the eggnog recipe, which my dad has tweaked and adjusted over many years. He always makes two batches, one with alcohol and one without, and we call these “leaded” and “unleaded.” I’m not sure if that’s a southern thing or just a Faust family quirk. It’s not Christmas until I’ve had a glass of this. What are your culinary traditions for the holidays?
Eggnog
6 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
2 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
1.5 oz. rum
1 cup bourbon
In an electric mixer, beat egg yolks until pale and fluffy. Set aside. In a clean bowl, beat whites, adding sugar slowly, to soft peaks. Beat in yolks. Add milk, cream, rum, and bourbon, continuing to beat on low. Serve with grated nutmeg on top. For unleaded, eliminate alcohol and increase the amount of milk and sugar to taste. Add a pinch of nutmeg and a teaspoon of vanilla.