Grandma Debbi's Eggnog

I was just typing this up for a friend and decided to post it here as well. This eggnog is fantastic. If you love the sticky sweetness of most commercial "eggnog," you'll be surprised by how much better real eggnog tastes!

If you use eggs and milk from animals that haven't been confined in tiny boxes and dosed daily with antibiotics and hormones, even better!

Debra's Eggnog

Make the custard a day ahead, it takes time to cool. Recipe makes a quart, we double for 1/2 gallon or quadruple for parties.

A. The Custard

3 egg yolks

1/4 cup sugar

4 cups milk

1/8 teaspoon mace or nutmeg

Mix the yolks and sugar in a pan. Add the milk and mix well. Cook the custard on stovetop on med, stirring often (constantly at the end) until the mixture coats a spoon (you will notice a change in the consistency—a thickening). The change from raw eggs to custard seems to happen suddenly, just before the boil. Don't let it boil. This takes a LONG time. 30 min possibly, much longer when quadrupled. Let cool, strain, then refrigerate until cold.

B. The Meringue

3 egg whites (room temp)

3 Tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

Just before ready to serve, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. While beating, gradually add the sugar and then the vanilla.

Combining A & B: Gently fold in about 1/3 of the custard to the meringue. When fully incorporated, fold in the rest of the custard. This helps keep the eggnog a bit fluffy. Top with more nutmeg. Nice with a little kick of bourbon, rum, or brandy.