Homemade Eggnog

Homemade Eggnog! I partnered with Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs for a holiday recipe and knew I wanted to make eggnog. I’ve been meaning to make it for some time now, I usually buy it in the store this time of year, and honestly it’s been so long since I’ve had homemade I wasn’t sure what to expect but I can tell you right now it is so much better!

When I shop for eggs there’s such a vast range in price, even on the organic end, so I generally buy somewhere in the middle, thinking what could be so different? Well, there really are differences. These eggs are definitely high-quality. They have a nice hard shell that doesn’t crush in your hand when you break it - no bits of shell falling into the bowl or pan, and the yolks are vibrant in color with excellent flavor. They are good to their free-roaming chickens and they are good to the earth too. Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs are free from pesticides, added hormones, antibiotics, and GMOs, and they come from small family farms that are dedicated to humane animal treatment, safety, and environmental sustainability. Most of their farms are on the east coast but their eggs are available here in the Pacific Northwest as well.

As I mentioned before the Eggnog tastes incredible, it’s much lighter and creamier than store-bought. The recipe below is a cooked version which is very similar to making a custard, lots of whisking involved but it comes together very quick. After I added the brandy and bourbon I took a whiff and thought maybe it was too boozy! But it’s fine, after it chills the flavors mellow out and I think it’s a perfect amount. Cheers!

This is a paid partnership with Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs, all opinions are my own.

Homemade Eggnog

• 6 whole eggs

• 1/4 cup of sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 3/4 cup brandy

• 1/4 cup bourbon

• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

• 1/4 teaspoon of fresh ground nutmeg

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

• 2 cups whole milk

• Cinnamon Sticks to garnish

Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a medium bowl until light and creamy.

In a saucepan whisk the cream, milk, nutmeg and salt, cook over medium-high heat, whisking often until mixture just starts to simmer. Then whisk the milk mixture into the egg mixture a little bit at a time using a ladle or measuring cup, whisk vigorously to temper the eggs, (you don’t want scrambled eggs!) once you’ve incorporated about a half of the milk mixture pour all of it back into your saucepan and return to stove. Over a medium heat whisk the mixture until slightly thickened and it reaches 160°F (about 2-4 minutes). Remove from stove and stir in the vanilla, brandy and bourbon. Pour into pitcher or jar and refrigerate for at least 3 hours (or longer) until well chilled. Serve with some freshly grated nutmeg on top and cinnamon stick. The eggnog will stay fresh refrigerated for one week.

Sous Vide Egg Bites

“Oh no! Not another kitchen gadget!” That was my response when Jeff suggested we get a Sous Vide. But the more I read about it the more I wanted it. The Egg Bites were fun and easy to make, but where the Sous Vide really excels is for cooking chicken breasts. Because of the precise temperature control the meat will cook remarkably consistent. And it’s also good for cooking steak followed by a quick sear. When I was researching what to make with the Sous Vide I came across this recipe for Egg Bites, apparently made popular by Starbucks. This recipe is for 6 servings, so you can make ahead, refrigerate and reheat them. It looks a bit like a science-lab, and with food sealed you can’t smell anything cooking so it tends to not feel like cooking at all. But the results are impressive and it’s been a good addition to our kitchen. One note on the jars, you want to make sure they are loosely secured so a little air can release (or they will explode!), when you tighten the lid, loosen it then tighten lightly with two fingers. If the jars float and will not stay on the bottom you will have to fix the lids, once they are sealed properly you will see some air bubbles rising and they will stay on the bottom of your container. The final result is a perfectly creamy cooked egg dish, similar to baked eggs, but not one part of it is overcooked. 

Oh and I just came across this article about Sous Vide which is pretty silly about men trying to impress women with their mad cooking skills, more interesting comments on David Lebovitz Facebook post here, it’s not for everyone or for every type of cooking, but it really is amazing for certain things like meat. And Egg Bites too!

Sous Vide Egg Bites

• 6 eggs
• 1/4 cup cream
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese
• 2 strips of bacon cooked, chopped
• 1/4 cup Oven-dried tomatoes
• Fresh basil (or any herb you like)
• 6 four-ounce mason jars

Preheat water to 172°F

Butter mason jars and set aside. In a blender mix eggs and cream until combined. Use any variation of ingredients you like, I made three using cheese, oven dried tomatoes, basil, and three with Gruyere and bacon.

Place bacon, herbs, cheese in bottom of jars, pour egg mixture in each jar, top with a bit more cheese, loosely secure lids on jars, submerge in water (if the jars float the lids are on too tight, adjust and they should remain on bottom of container releasing air bubbles), cook for 90 minutes, remove from jars and serve or place in refrigerator for up to 1 week. 

Adapted from Anova