December is National Eggnog Month
Last updated on July 1st, 2022 at 11:07 am
It should be no surprise that the month of December is National Eggnog Month. It is the quintessential beverage of the Christmas holiday season. Just a sip of it can immediately take you back down memory lane- images of your youth sitting around the fireplace with mom and dad, fun holiday parties, those Christmas Eve’s when you snuck downstairs late at night to see if Santa Clause was really putting a gift under the tree. Ah, the power of Eggnog- or maybe that’s just the power of some strong rum. In any case, you cannot deny that December and eggnog go together like Easter and eggs. The drink dates back Medieval times in England and consists of milk or cream, raw eggs, sugar, and liquor (rum, brandy or whiskey). There’s a lot that you can do with a basic eggnog recipe- cupcakes, custards, cheesecakes, pancakes, even fudge!
Will your restaurant be serving the traditional beverage during the holiday season or making a delicious dessert out of it? As a serious lover of creme brûlée we decided to share with you a recipe from Epicurious for Eggnog Creme Brûlée. We hope you and your diners enjoy this, but like all the recipes presented here, try to put your own twist on it! (perhaps add some coconut to it, or fresh fruit sprinkled with sugar on top)
Eggnog Creme Brûlée
- 4 cups whipping cream
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 8 large egg yolks
- 1/4 cup dark rum
- 1 tablespoon brandy
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Large pinch of salt
- 1/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
Directions:
- Preheat your Commercial Oven to 350°F.
- Place 11×8-inch (8-cup capacity) shallow ceramic baking dish in roasting pan. Mix cream and 2/3 cup sugar in a 5 1/2 Qt Sauce Pan. Bring to simmer, stirring until sugar dissolves.
- Whisk yolks in medium bowl. Gradually whisk in hot cream mixture, then rum, brandy, nutmeg, and salt.
- Transfer to baking dish. Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of dish. Carefully transfer pan to oven.
- Bake until custard is set around edges but center still jiggles slightly when dish is gently shaken, about 40 minutes. Remove ceramic dish from water. Chill custard on rack until cold, at least 3 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep chilled.)
- Preheat broiler. Press brown sugar through strainer over custard to cover completely and evenly. Watching closely, broil custard 4 to 6 inches from heat source until sugar bubbles and caramelizes, about 2 minutes. Chill custard until topping hardens, at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours. Serve cold.
