The Very Best Eggnog Ever Recipes

Steps:

• Combine milk, cloves, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and cinnamon in a saucepan, and heat over lowest setting for 5 minutes. Slowly bring milk mixture to a boil.
• In a large bowl, combine egg yolks and sugar. Whisk together until fluffy. Whisk hot milk mixture slowly into the eggs. Pour mixture into saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for 3 minutes, or until thick. Do not allow mixture to boil. Strain to remove cloves, and let cool for about 1 hour.
• Stir in rum, cream, 2 teaspoon vanilla, and nutmeg. Refrigerate for 8 hours, or overnight, before serving.

Steps:

• Whisk the eggs, egg yolk and sugar in a bowl until combined. Heat the milk and 1/2 cup heavy cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat until steaming; do not boil. Remove from the heat. Whisk 1 cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture, then whisk the egg mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and a thermometer registers 165 degrees F, about 5 minutes. (Do not boil or the eggs will curdle.)
• Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl and stir in the vanilla and nutmeg. Let cool at room temperature, about 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours or up to 1 week.
• Whisk the remaining 1/2 cup heavy cream in a large bowl until stiff peaks form. Slowly whisk the whipped cream into the chilled eggnog mixture, then whisk in the rum. Pour into glasses, sprinkle with nutmeg and serve with cinnamon sticks.

Steps:

• Seperate eggs into 2 glass bowls-yolks in one-whites in another.
• Beat yolks with 1 1/2 cups sugar until thick and creamy-reserve the remaining 1/4 cup.
• Wash and DRY beaters and whip the whites until stiff, beat in the reserved sugar and continue until the whites hold their peaks.
• In a large punch bowl combine yolks and whites by mixing gently on low.
• Add the cream 2 cups at a time, stirring gently.
• Stir in the booze, gently.
• Sprinkle 2 t's of the nutmeg on top.
• Let sit in the fridge for at least 2 hours-a yummy crust will form.
• Serve in glasses and offer a dash of the remaining nutmeg.

Steps:

• Combine milk and spices including vanilla bean in a heavy saucepan and let them infuse over lowest possible heat for 5 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine yolks and sugar in a large bowl and whisk until well mixed.
• Bring milk just to a boil and very gradually whisk it into the yolk mixture. Do this a few tablespoons at a time at first, stir very well before adding more hot milk (this is called tempering the egg yolks and prevents them from overcooking and curdling). Return the mixture to the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring steadily with a wooden spoon, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until foam subsides and mixture thickens to consistency of heavy cream. Mixture should thickly coat the back of a wooden spoon. Do not boil, or mixture will curdle. Keep the heat at medium.
• Strain mixture into a large bowl and let cool to room temperature. Stir in half-and-half (or the other substitutions mentioned above), vanilla extract, nutmeg and rum and brandy if using. If you choose you can leave the alcohol out.
• Refrigerate eggnog until cold, at least 2 hours, preferably overnight. Just before serving, dust top of eggnog with additional freshly grated nutmeg.
• Note: "half-and-half" is NOT a mixture of half cream and half milk, but it is equal in butterfat content to a mixture of 1/4 cream and 3/4 milk.