Today is National Eggnog Day! Eggnog is to Americans what ponche crema (homemade punch) is to Venezuelans, coquito is to Puerto Ricans and rompope is to Mexicans. It's the drink for the Holidays and, like Venezuelan ponche crema, it's made of eggs, milk, cream, and some kind of spirit.
While researching for a recipe, I found eggnog made with bourbon, cognac, and rum. Because Venezuela, my home country, produces some of the best-aged rums in the world, I chose rum to make the eggnog we will drink on Christmas Eve.
This is not a drink for vegans or those who are lactose intolerant. This is the real dairy stuff, rich in flavor and in calories too.
So enjoy and happy Natinoal Eggnog Day!
Eggnog
Yield 12 servings
Ingredients
8 egg yolks
1 cup of sugar
2 cups of milk
2 cups of heavy cream
2 Tsp. of vanilla extract
1 Tsp. of freshly ground nutmeg
1 pinch of ground cloves
3/4 cup of rum
Directions:
In a pot with an immersion blender, blend the egg yolks, the sugar and the milk until creamy, at least 2 minutes.
Cook this mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly until it thickens, for about 5 minutes, being careful it doesn't boil.
Turn off the heat. Add the vanilla, cream, nutmeg, cloves and rum. Blend until frothy, about 2 minutes.
Pour in a cup with crushed ice and dust with grated nutmeg.
Image via Enriqueta Lemoine
