Eggnog, tis the season!
I've tried to enjoy this beverage. Not sure if it's the viscosity, sometimes it tastes like melted vanilla ice cream with nutmeg, or the flavor but, I can't seem to like it.
I've tried the various liquored versions, added spices, holiday concoctions, organic. Not for me, plus, hammering all those extra calories to my body.
Do you like eggnog or hate it, what am I missing or, am I missing anything.
I'm a fan...reminds me of my youth....Some of my friends make a mean adult version i look forward to every year at office Christmas parties. The last few days heading into Christmas Eve I probably have 6 different concoctions a day stopping by to greet my friends and business associated.
Can you tell us about your different concoctions. Maybe one will get be over to the other side.
I don't make them myself, but the different profiles would have the following ingredients separately or together in varying amounts.
Southern Comfort
Maker's Mark Bourbon
Brandy
Rum
Rock and Rye
Peach Flavored liquers
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
plus sugar, eggs and milk....after chilling some are finished with melted ice cream, half & half or cream before serving.
Both my husband and my stepdaughter love it - thanks for reminding me so that they can have some this year.
I never tried it as a kid, and now I'm allergic to eggs, so...
Is there a faux eggnog.
Dunno but I enjoy this (usually hot though) and it covers the nutmeg/rum flavours that I associate with eggnog. The bitters also help balance the sweetness.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...
yes, there are some vegan eggnogs out there. In addition to the soy eggnog, there's a rice faux eggnog.
Soy delicious makes a vegan version
I love it, but I make my own. Only takes 5 or 10 minutes to throw together and then it sits overnight to mellow. The cartons in the grocery, I've never found one I flip over. There's a couple at the liquor store that are decent though, one I recall is named something like Pennsylvania Dutch? Friends of ours tend to bring a bottle by this time of year, and it doesn't go to waste ;-)
But if calories are a concern, then maybe eggnog is not for you!
Do you drink it straight up or add that something something to it.
Oh I add a couple of somethings: Bourbon, and brandy. After you let it sit overnight, you hardly notice it, believe it or not. As a matter of fact, I had to drag my Siamese cat away from the bowl more times than I can count ;-) If you want the recipe just let me know: I'm sure it would be fine without alcohol if you so desire.
I love it, but can't drink but a few glasses all season. It is just too rich. I like it with rum, bourbon or brandy. Sometimes I cut it with milk too.
For me, it is one of those iconic, nostalgic "Holiday tastes" that I revisit every year...and don't miss the rest of the year.
----"For me, it is one of those iconic, nostalgic "Holiday tastes" that I revisit every year...and don't miss the rest of the year." Well said. I am a big eggnog fan, but you described it perfectly. Because it is such an "iconic nostalgic Holiday taste," it becomes a wonderful, but brief, focus and tradition at this time of year, but would be crazy at 4th of July. I might enjoy doing a post or two about eggnog before Thanksgiving, but I don't need to drink the stuff until Christmas Eve and Christmas, and that satisfies til the next Christmas Eve. The season wouldn't be the same without it!
Another once-a-year and once-is-fine thing is a Fall favorite: a pumpkin latte. We are finishing up that season (or right at it height). One trip to a convenience store or Dunkin Donuts to get my 1 time fix- love it, down to my toenails, yes, but one such indulgence and I'm OK until the next October/ November. Eggnog= much the same once a year craving and satisfaction.
Almost forgot about this thread, good timing! I agree, something about the craving and thought that I can tolerate it during the holiday season. I see a similar connection to the whole turkey thing in the oven just for Thanksgiving when it's really a great value meal. Yes, enough with the pumpkin latte!
Oh, I am not complaining in the least! But the in the rhythm of seasonal foods and drinks, some incredibly wonderful stuff can satisfy 1x and then, no need for a year. As much as I love eggnog (for me, many steps above 'tolerate.'), I've never thought about the lack of need for it except for the brief splash at Christmastime.
Quick follow up at the end of eggnog season... I made the family-sized batch on Christmas Eve and it went over well with family and neighbor on Christmas Eve and through Christmas afternoon. But as much as I really love it, as I said, I got one cup out of the deal. I wanted to make sure we saved enough for the shut-in neighbor down the street who always enjoys it, and then to take the bowl over to a large family gathering a couple of hours across the state. Much anticipation, much effort (a labor of love, enthusiasm, and fun) for the payoff of 1 small cup. And we are done 'til next year. A wonderful tradition during the Christmas season!!!
Leave it...I'll take the bourbon straight
Would start out loving it, but by the end of the season I was ready to see it go. Unfortunately my lactose intolerance has increased and drinking it now a no go.
For me, it blows big time.
I LOVE eggnog... just don't bother with the 'lactose-free' one - it was as watery as regular milk. :( I like my nog thick and creamy and delicious. Also love eggnog icecream.
I don't like it, all the versions i've tried (store bought) are way too sweet.
I can take or leave most eggnog but I LOVE Hood (northeastern US brand) Pumpkin Eggnog. It's like drinking pumpkin cheesecake. And I am generally lukewarm about pumpkin. I regard eggnog as melted ice cream, so a portion is 4 oz. and not an everyday thing.
Every year i try it again. Dairy hates me but i can taste a bit without issues.
Still hate it. And i am not a picky person! Tried homemade, organic, with booze, no booze, as ice cream, the soy version, the almond milk version, full fat vs low fat.....nope. Not happening. I'll stick to mulled wine and hot cider spiked with rum.
I don't enjoy it.
For me, it's always been akin to melted ice cream spiked with bourbon (or rum).
Personally, I'd rather just as soon take shots of bourbon with a spoonful of vanilla ice cream as a chaser.
But it's the holidays. If someone makes a batch of homemade eggnog and offers me a cup, I'm not going to play Scrooge to their Cratchit, and reject the gesture.
Tis the season. I'll just drink up.
Lol, this will read like one of those recipe reviews where nothing matches the original but, I found this recipe last year, modified it to my tastes and really enjoyed it.
http://recipes.safeway.com/recipe/570...
I only had 8 egg yolks, and I only had heavy cream, which I cut by half with water. I used a hearty bourbon instead of rum, and my homemade vanilla extract (the bourbon version). Probably added some ground coriander because I can't get enough of it.
Most importantly, I cut the sugar by half. The end result is probably thinner consistency than the recipe calls for and certainly less sweet, and it was delightful. Oh, and I heated/stirred it in the microwave because I was lazy. :)
Love it, but non-spiked. I'm too much of a lightweight for the spiked stuff - sneaks up on me and hits fast. And I'll usually just sip on a shot glass worth for dessert. And eggnog ice cream is the bomb when scooped up with gingerbread cookies.
Love it!
most eggnog, i don't like. however, i have had some good home-made german eierlikor. an irish pub i go to imports galway bay irish eggnog, which i enjoy. for non-alcohol eggnog, i've come to enjoy lewes dairy's eggnog.
Love it, but some versions are a lot better than others. I like it spiked with brandy or rum, sprinkled with nutmeg.
It's all a matter of taste. I love good eggnog, depends on the brand. But I also love fruitcake so...
I like it, but one glass per winter is usually enough. I rarely drink the store-bought kind, though - it's quite easy to make oneself, and when I make it at home I can reduce the level of sweetness and/or use Splenda to make it low-carb. I also tend to put quite a lot of booze in it, to cut the richness.
I am a big, BIG fan. I usually make a large batch in October with brandy, dark rum and peach schnapps. It starts out somewhat thin with a definite alcoholic bite, but by mid-December the flavors have blended seamlessly and the proteins have begun to break down, giving the eggnog a bit more body.
It will last that long in the frig.
I make enough eggnog to last me into the Spring. After 3 or 4 months the eggnog is so smooth that it's a little like drinking a glass of silk with the complexity of an aged red wine. I've had the same batch of eggnog last me as long as 7 months when summer weather makes eggnog ice cream with fresh summer berries a real and delicious possibility.
There is enough alcohol in aged eggnog to preserve it for a year's worth of aging. In fact studies suggest that allowing eggnog to sit gives the alcohol time to kill any pathogens that may be present, suggesting aged eggnog may be safer than fresh. I normally bottle my eggnog in sterile containers but had excess that I stored in Tupperware this year. It's been safe to drink for the past 6 weeks I've been sampling from it.
I can understand not loving it. No idea what the recipe is but my wife makes a Puerto Rican version of egg nog called Coquito. It beats traditional egg nog hand down. Google it and give it a try!
I use eggnog as the custard in bread pidding sometimes and also as a french toast batter but not much as a beverage.
Love it for those purposes too! Kings Hawaiian bread has an awesome bread pudding recipe that I love to use with eggnog. Delicious.
What's the secret? I make bread pudding all the time but when I subbed eggnog for the cream, I had to just throw it away. I use challah bread myself.
You have good results with soft breads? I enjoy the Kings Hawaiian bread for sliders but for french toast or bread pudding I find a firmer or day old bread holds up better to dipping and baking.
I leave the King's Hawaiian bread out a few days and then throw it in the fridge - it firms up well enough for the bread pudding. My second favorite is to use day-old croissants.
Oh okay, I understand now. Yes, that's the way we would approach using bread with prepared eggnog too. As a matter of fact, having some leftover eggnog from a party is how the whole idea began. I find it too batter like to enjoy as a drink but as batter kinda ideal.
Never thought of using eggnog as a batter, thanks for the tip. I'll have to give it a try with a bread pudding. Is is really good making french toast?
We add more cinnamon and nutmeg to the prepared store brands but with day old or heavy, firm bread the eggnog makes a tasty autumnal french toast. You def. need to enjoy eggnog to enjoy eggnog french toast.
As the custard for bread pudding, we follow the liquid requirements and make adjustments as needed (depending on the size of your casserole and the type of bread used).
I'm still not brave enough to make my own at home, but I took one for the team and tested a few eggnog brands with friends to find a favorite. (Hey - I'm nice like that!) ;-)
Our favorites were:
Hood Golden
Hood Pumpkin
Ronnybrook
Stewart's (Adirondack NY area chain)
Chipwich (been around forever but so hard to find these days!)
The one called Jack Daniels (not that it has any whiskey in it) was the best I've had, but don't know if it's still around.
Curious, what differences are you looking for in certain brands?
Well I usually make my own traditional recipe, I'm just looking for one that doesn't taste artificial. I rarely buy it myself, so my opinion is based on tastes of various brands at other people's houses. The Jack Daniels is the only one that I said, wow this is good. I even bought it myself a few times, back when we didn't worry about our weight so much.
I guess it's the thickness of the grocery store brands that turns me off; when I make it, it's seems lighter and fluffier. Despite a dozen eggs and a quart each of half and half, and heavy cream. After you whip it for five or six minutes, a whole lot of air gets incorporated.
That said, I was at the liquor store yesterday and because of this thread I bought one of those bottles of Pennsylvania Dutch Eggnog. It will probably come in handy at some point in the next month or so, I figure ;-) Even if I just give it as a last minute gift!
For me, it's the overwhelming nutmeg that makes me shun eggnog. Nutmeg has a metallic twang for me. It's akin to licking a battery (come on - we all tried this when we were kids. Right?). In a liquid that coats one's tongue so thoroughly, my neurons band together and shout "poison!"
So, no. Not a fan.
It's simply too rich for me, but my better half would drink it all day, every day, if he could. He's recently discovered Hood Eggnog and now, that's all he'll buy. He starts hunting for it in September and stocks up just before New Year's Eve. He hates January as it's the first nog-less month. I refuse to let him know I could make up a batch in June, if I wanted to, but I would start a once a week tradition and he doesn't need the fat and calories. He truly is obsessed.
I agree with Sedimental. It is iconic (and brings back a flood of pleasant associations) but I don't miss it the rest of the year. And I agree with anyone who has an aversion to pumpkin lattes, although I like pumpkin pie. Eggnog IMHO really needs to have bourbon and/or brandy. I like homemade much better than the kind that comes ready made in cartons, but it is a bit of work and requires others who like eggnog; so it is only a few times in a lifetime thing. My favorite incarnation of eggnog was at Baskin Robbins, on a cone.
I stand with you---I think eggnog is disgusting. But I do like to use it for one thing---to brush on baked goods before baking. Makes them nice and shiny after baking, gives a nice finish.
Just an FYI: Shaw's Farm eggnog has rcvd many raves on this thread; I called them in Dracut and was told they sell it at Savenor's in Cambridge.
I enjoy the taste of eggnog, especially w/ spiced rum, and for many years made my own. However, fresh dairy and I just don't get along ;) So I'm content w/ the rare taste, and prefer homemade.
Hate store-bought, but like a bit of homemade.
To those of you who say it's like melted ice cream, that's because that's exactly what it is...or more accurately, ice cream that never got frozen.
Actually, an easy cheater eggnog recipe is to melt some vanilla Haagen-Dazs and grate some nutmeg on top.
Our homemade eggnog is not an "easy cheater," but relies on a pint of no-sugar-added vanilla ice cream. After egg yolks have been beaten until thick and lemon colored, heated in saucepan, a little hot milk added, the yolks mixture is poured into a bowl, and the ice cream is added to this, a spoonful at a time until melted. Then, in goes the sugar or NutraSweet, brandy extract, vanilla extract, and refrigerate this much for the better part of the day or overnight... and there are more steps around the egg whites phase, before serving.
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