Eggnog Recipe | The Prairie Homestead (2024)

FAQs

Can I substitute half and half for heavy cream in eggnog? ›

If you're wanting to make eggnog without cream, it's important to note that you'll end up with a less-creamy, thinner holiday drink. You can substitute half and half, or skip any type of cream and whipping, and follow the rest of the instructions as they are.

Refrigerated eggs with clean, uncracked shells can still be contaminated with Salmonella bacteria. Eggs must be cooked to 160 degrees F to kill bacteria such as Salmonella that may be present. If your eggnog recipe calls for raw eggs, it may not be safe.

While fresh eggnog is simple, smooth, and, well, fresh-tasting, aged eggnog is much more aggressive. The booze comes out stronger, and there are medicinal, almost minty flavors that people will pick up on—almost as if you've spiked your eggnog with an herbal liqueur, like Fernet-Branca.

The more liquor you add, the longer it will keep — non-alcoholic eggnog should be consumed within 1 day; eggnog with 1/2 to 1 cup of liquor will keep for several days; and eggnog with 1 1/2 cups of liquor will keep for several weeks and continue aging and thickening quite nicely.

So, if you're cooking something forgiving like soup or mashed potatoes, heavy cream and half-and-half are virtually interchangeable in equal amounts, yes—both will give you that creamy texture we all love and crave. Just be mindful that heavy cream contains more fat, so it will taste much richer.

Most Eggnogs Have Long Ingredients Lists

Thickeners may cause digestive upset in some people.

Eggnog may not be considered a "health food," but the drink does have some nutritional benefits including certain vitamins and protein. Traditional eggnog is also high in sugar and fat, and for that reason, it's best to drink in moderation as a dessert.

If a recipe calls for folding raw, beaten egg whites into the eggnog, use pasteurized eggs. It has not been proven that raw egg whites are free of Salmonella bacteria. If you purchase eggnog from your local grocery store, the eggnog has been prepared with pasteurized eggs. You do not need to cook it.

The Best Eggnog: Southern Comfort Traditional Eggnog

“It has a lovely golden color with small flecks of grated nutmeg,” says Mark Neufang in the Test Kitchen. While only a sprinkling is used, even in homemade recipes, this baking spice really makes this Christmastime drink taste like the holiday season.

The role of sugar in eggnog

Sugar's addictive properties have been studied, and ice cream mix used to make eggnog contains its fair share, both from the milk sugar lactose and from added sugars.

Why is eggnog so expensive? ›

Canadian chef Heidi Fink states that one of the reasons people are making less homemade eggnog is that the beverage is expensive to make, due to its use of substantial quantities of cream, eggs, and spirits. Concerns about the safety of raw eggs may be another reason for the decline in homemade eggnog making.

Choose The Right Spirit

While brandy is the most traditional alcohol to pair with eggnog, according to traditional recipes, you can also use a mixture of dark rum and Cognac. If you like your eggnog with more of a kick you can also add bourbon, but we recommend sticking to rum and Cognac to preserve the 'nog's flavors.

The Food and Drug Administration suggests consuming commercial eggnog within three to five days of opening a carton, and you should drink homemade eggnog within two to four days of making. If you're unsure whether eggnog has gone off, give it a whiff, and check for these signs: lumpy texture. spoiled milk smell.

Ladle the egg nog into glass tumblers and serve with a little freshly grated nutmeg over the top of each glass.

While you can subsitute half and half in place of heavy cream in a recipe for a custard, you cannot whip half and half like heavy cream. It doesn't have enough fat to hold peaks.

Butter (melted) In a jar or bowl add milk and allow to come to room temperature, next slowly whisk in melted butter. Once mixed on stop mixing if you mix to long the butter could start to resolidify. Store w/an airtight lid in the fridge. Use in most recipes that call for heavy cream.

You can still create a creamier, half-and-half-like consistency by adding butter. Put one tablespoon of melted butter in a measuring cup, then fill the rest of the container with milk (preferably whole milk for its higher fat content), until you've poured to the one-cup mark.

Half-and-half is equal parts cream and milk, giving it a thinner consistency. While you can whip half-and-half, it's not going to sit in those lovely, fluffy peaks that we associate with a good whipped cream. Also, its runny nature means that it'll try to revert to liquid form as soon as you take your eye off it.