Excellent short story and recipe over at Chow by Jason Horn on aged eggnog. I’ve never heard of this.
I love fresh eggnog and always make at least one for myself and any takers during the holidays (any excuse to consume raw eggs and cream–over ice, over pasta, over pork belly!)—raw yolk and cream and sugar and bourbon, with some whipped egg white, fresh nutmeg. Soothes the soul.
The technique reported at Chow requires three weeks and as much as a year! Time to get started!
My batch will be dedicated to my dear pal Blake Bailey (for you literary types, his bio of Richard Yates is a superlative work, "a landmark event," quoth Maslin of the NY Tmes), who is presently annoyed with me because blogging has cut into my emails to him. Happily, he’s visiting in three weeks, just in time for the eggnog.
UPDATE: Just made the aged eggnog recipe, very easy, very tasty though nothing unusual. I’m eager to see what the aging does–yolks and dairy hanging out in the fridge for at least a three weeks an up to a year! That’s a great preservation method.
NOTE TO MEGNUT: I don’t give the recipe because there isn’t one, but for a couple eggnogs on the fly: a half cup of 1/2 and 1/2, two yolks, two tablespoons sugar thoroughly mixed. Whip the reserved whites till frothy and throw some sugar in there as well. Two or three ounces of Maker’s Mark over ice in each tumbler, divide the yolk mixture between the two, finish with some egg white and fresh nutmeg. Very impressive to a guest if you offer to whip up a fresh eggnog just for them.
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I know it is going to sound like a sin, but when you have diabetics in the family, it’s more like a savior. I make a sugar-free eggnog (a total of 20 eggs, 1 quart of half-and-half, 1 quart of cream—no lightweight, this nog) that is so incredible no one has ever been able to tell—not even the Atkins-loathing, born-skinny, sugar pushers that irritate the hell out of us at the holidays for losing all the weight we’ve gained.
With it, I make an unreal New York cheesecake. I haven’t tried the pork, but that might be on the list.
I just finished The Soul of a Chef and have to write a four-page review for my MFA work this semester. I came to your blog to procrastinate. And now I have to check out aged egg nog.
Richard Yates, I love him. I’ll pass on the eggnog, make mine a Ramos Fizz and tell Blake Bailey I’m going to read his book.
Michael,
Check out this recipe, too: http://seriouslygood.kdweeks.com/2006/11/christmas-egg-nog.html
My father’s been making it every Thanksgiving for more than 50 years.
After saying all that, you’ve got to post your recipe!
For those who don’t want to make the eggnog themselves, there’s still Ronnybrook (in the NY area)…”best commercial eggnog” according to the Times. No, this isn’t advertising spam. It’s just comletely terrific, and I wanted to spread the word.
OMG, my noshing buddy Annie is right – the Ronnybrook eggnog is SO good, it almost makes a fan even out of an eggnog hater like myself. Add a healthy jolt of Bacardi (black – white is for mojitos and will NOT do!), and some nutmeg across the top, and – well, you’re everyone’s darling. Until the hangover clears, at least (!)
I thought I did not like eggnog too, until I saw Alton Brown make one and then tried his recipe. Here is a link:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_32424,00.html?rsrc=search
Turns out I only did not like the thick cooked gloppy commercial egg nog. This stuff here makes about a good sized pitcher that I try and make a couple of times during December. Just finished one last night, time to make another. Ruhlman, glad to hear u use Maker’s Mark too.
How odd, I know someone else who’s a friend of that guy who wrote the Richard Yates bio. I bought it but haven’t read it yet. Maybe I’ll pull it out for the holidays. Yates’ Revolutionary Road is one of maybe five books that’s had a lasting impact on my outlook on life– not a cheering one, I’m afraid.