Eggnog = Egg Milk Punch
In the USA and Canada Christmas is incomplete without eggnog. For those of you who have never heard of eggnog, it is a custard-like, thin, egg drink that is seasoned with the perfect combination of Christmas spices – cinnamon & nutmeg.
Eggnog is normally it is made with raw eggs and has a raw eggs taste. But in many recipes you cook the eggs making it not only much tastier but safer to consume. You can either have alcoholic eggnog or drink it alcohol-free.
Summer Christmas in South Africa
Eggnog is traditionally served chilled, although some people enjoy a warm cup in front of the fireplace while it snows outside. If you live in South Africa, Christmas falls right in the middle of summer – just as we are used to it and love it! We are fortunate enough to sit outside with a superb glass of wine and admire the moon and the stars (with mosquitoes humming in your ears). 😉
At the end of the gorgeous Christmas spread, serve your guests a dessert with an ice-cold twist on traditional eggnog. A dessert that is perfectly suited for Christmas in sunny South Africa.
A Christmas Party Favourite
A few weeks ago, my sister and cousin hosted a Christmas party for all of their entire friends. Each of the couples had to take something with. There were some leftover cream in the fridge and what better way to celebrate the spirit of Christmas than to serve them delicious, creamy eggnog. It was a MASSIVE hit!
I had some leftovers and made some lollies with my Zoku Quick Pop Maker.
The Zoku Quick Pop Maker
You pop this nifty tool in the freezer for 48 hours (or just always leave it in the freezer), take it out the freezer and pour in your cold liquid. Now stand back to watch the magic happen! It wondrously freezes. Once it is frozen, just pull the lollies out with the removal tool and pop it back into the freezer. This machine is perfect if you want to make ice lollies at a moment’s notice. The Zoku instant frozen items range is quite extensive. It includes ice pop moulds, ice cream makers, slush makers and more.
Read more about the Zoku range here. You can buy it online from Yuppiechef, Takealot and @home.
If you don’t have a Zoku Quick Pop Maker, you can use normal plastic ice lolly moulds. I would freeze the eggnog overnight to make sure they are ready.
Christmas Lunch Dessert Done Differently
This year round, serve your guests something that they will always remember, something different, something that you can prepare a few days in advance – Eggnog Ice Lollies.
Eggnog Ice Lollies
It is very important not to overcook the eggs when making eggnog. If you do, you will end up with sweet scrambled eggs and that is just disgusting & unusable.
Ingredients
- ¾ Cup Granulated White Sugar
- 6 Large Eggs
- 2 Cups Milk
- 2 Cups Cream
- 15ml Vanilla Essence
- ½ Teaspoon Cinnamon (depending on your taste you can add more)
- ¼ Teaspoon Nutmeg (depending on your taste you can add more)
- Pinch of Salt
- ± 60ml Whiskey of choice (you can leave this out if you want to make a non-alcoholic version)
Instructions
- Mix together the sugar and the eggs in a large, heavy-base saucepan.
- Stir in the milk.
- Cook the milk and egg mixture. The stove should be on medium to make sure that the mixture does not cook too quickly and curdle. Continue stirring the mixture until it is cooked. The mixture is cooked if it reaches 75°C (170°F) on a thermometer. (it begins setting at 70°C) If you do not have a thermometer, the consistency of the mixture should be thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon and leave a line in the middle if your finger is pulled through the centre.
- Once it is cooked, immediately remove from the heat. Run it through a sieve.
- Add in the cream, vanilla essence, spices and salt.
- Add the whiskey to your taste.
- Refrigerate until ice cold.
- Pour into the ice lolly mould and keep frozen until service.