Eggnog Custards

by mrsjillbond

This is the fifth part of an article from the Fall 2013 Blessed Living Women’s E-Magazine available FREE online at http://www.blwemag.com.

Eggnog Custards

These custards are so easy to make and I usually have the ingredients on hand.

6 Eggs, beaten
3 cups Milk
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla
1-2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1. Beat sugar into a mixture of the eggs and the milk. Pour into individual oven-prove dishes.
2. Sprinkle fresh ground nutmeg over mixture.
3. Bake using Bath Marie* method 325° F for 30-45 minutes (varies because of difference size ramekins used). Use the clean knife test for doneness**. [If you want to make a single large one – use a soufflé dish and bake 50-60 minutes.]
4. Serve warm from oven or as our family likes it – once cool, refrigerate for several hours. You can garnish to your heart’s content or serve as is.

**Test for doneness by inserting a clean knife into the center of one of the dishes, ascertaining it is still clean. If food clings to the knife continue baking 4-5 minutes and retest.

*Bath Marie: This method is used for many soufflés and custards. You place your baking dish with the ingredients into another larger pan. You surround the cooking dish with very hot water. It isn’t difficult when you learn that it is much easier to place the smaller dishes in the larger dish, set it on the oven rack and partially close the rack. Then using a pitcher with a long spout – pour the water into the larger dish until it is about half way up the sides of the smaller dishes. This method is so much easier than trying to carry the whole shebang – many filled dishes into a hot oven and not spilling a drop along the way.
When it comes time to remove the dishes, open the oven and with either a canning grip or shielded fingers (with good oven-proof gloves) remove each custard cup individually and set on a rack to cool. Leave the large dish in the oven. Allow it to completely cool and then drain and clean. By doing this piecemeal approach you avoid the awful mess of accidentally pouring HOT water into your perfectly baked custards and having a comical mess. Can you tell that I’ve experimented many different methods and have had my history of “Lucy and Ethel” culinary adventures?

For years I used commercial or homemade eggnog in place of the egg/milk mixture and the recipe worked perfectly.  We tried a different brand for a photo and the recipe failed miserably.  It must depend on the amount of real egg in the eggnog product.

 

Christmas Bavarian Cream

Christmas Bavarian Cream

by mrsjillbond

Christmas Bavarian Cream

This is part 4 of the article from the Fall 2013 Blessed Living Women’s E-Magazine available FREE online at www.blwemag.com

I really like this dessert because it is so light.  After a big holiday meal, it’s nice to sometimes just have a mouthful of fluff.  It’s perfect for those “too full for another bite” but still want a dessert.  I do have to preach here about fresh nutmeg.  If you don’t have a grater, pick one up for a few dimes at a thrift store and start grinding your nutmeg fresh each time – there is a major difference in taste.

3 envelopes unflavored gelatin
¼ cup brown sugar (light brown yields a better color – but use what you have on hand)
1 cup boiling water
1 cup COLD water (directly from refrigerator dispenser is fine)
¼ teaspoon nutmeg (approximate.  Use fresh ground always – if possible)
1 teaspoon rum extract (optional)
2 cups dairy eggnog (or your own fresh made)
1 tad yellow food coloring (optional)
Garnish – you can get as elaborate as you want decorating this

1. Mix the 3 envelopes of gelatin into brown sugar.
2. Stir in boiling water until gelatin is completely dissolved.
3. Stir in cold water.
4. Add in nutmeg and rum extract.
5. Refrigerate until it coats a spoon – about 20-30 minutes.
6. Pour into bowl of mixer and then at medium speed; beat until it is light and fluffy.
7. Gradually stir in the eggnog while blender is at low speed.
8. Add in a tad of yellow food coloring, if desired.
9. Pour into a 1-qt mold.
10. Refrigerate until firm about 4 hours.
11. Unmold, garnish and serve. 

Eggnog Sundae Desserts

by mrsjillbond

Part Three of the Eggnog Article that was published in the Fall 2013 Blessed Living Women’s E-Magazine, available online for FREE at www.blwemag.com.

Eggnog Sundae Desserts

4 3/4 oz vanilla wafers (or 8 graham crackers)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup melted butter
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
2 cups eggnog
2 cups whipped topping

1. Make cookie crumble by crunching up vanilla wafers (or graham crackers). I use my food processor to mix all this together.
2. Toss in the nutmeg and melted butter. Set aside.
3. In a small pan, make the filling by sprinkling gelatin over 1 cup of the eggnog. Let stand 5 minutes to soften. I recommend using a double boiler.
4. Heat the gelatin/eggnog mixture until the gelatin is completely dissolved.
5. Remove from heat and add second cup of eggnog. Stir until evenly mixed.
6. Refrigerate until the mixture is thick and syrupy like unbeaten egg whites — about 40 minutes to 1 hour.
7. Beat the mixture until frothy.
8. Fold in 2 cups of whipped topping.
9. In sundae glasses, spoon some cookie crumble, then some eggnog cream. Alternate layers until you reach the top. Refrigerate until firm.
10. Serve with a dollop of whipped topping and/or favorite garnish.

Eggnog Bavarian Pie

Eggnog Bavarian Pie

by mrsjillbond

This is part two of the eggnog article printed in the Fall 2013 Blessed Living Women’s E-Magazine available at www.blwemag.com.

Allow a dozen 2-ounce eggnog cubes (that’s 24 ounces of eggnog) to partially freeze. Crush in a blender until consistency of a slushy drink. Fold into 2 cups of cold whipped topping. Pour into a baked pie shell (pie pastry, graham cracker, ginger cookie, or vanilla wafer crust). Serve cold with garnish of your choice.
This pie freezes well. Once the pie is frozen, place in a large, freezable plastic bag. When ready to serve, let it thaw for an hour in the refrigerator before serving.

Eggnog French Toast

Use this eggnog or a commercial brand just as you would egg/milk in making French toast – delicious. You do know to bake your French toast, don’t you?

Eggnog Recipes

Eggnog -- plain and simple it is one of the true delights on her list and has been since she was 3 months old. By her second Christmas she’d ask for “nogk-nogk” and the name stuck. Being a mother who wants to major on my family’s likes and to minor on their dislikes (those good-for-them foods that I have to use every culinary skill in my arsenal to make them eat), I have been experimenting with eggnog.  Not only do I sometimes make my own, but I use it as a substitute in other recipes during the season when it is available in stores.  We have tried dozens of brands and our favorite is a store-brand from our local store: Publix.  They even carry a lower calorie version and I have used it in all these recipes and it did just fine. All these recipes work just as well with a commercial brand of eggnog.

So, I guess I should start with how to make your own Nogk-Nogk.  Without taking up the 3 pages that I did in my cookbook: Mega Cooking (pages 203-5) let me give you a fast run-down on how to make your own eggnog and a few ideas on things to do with it. The last three recipes are new and not previously published.

For this blog page, I'll post each recipe separately.  Also, all these eggnog recipes are available as an article in our FREE online magazine: Blessed Living Women's E-Magazine at www.blwemag.com.

We have also started a podcast on BlogTalkRadio or available from the magazine website.

Here's a recipe for homemade eggnog.

Nogk-Nogk -- Eggnog

(For those of you who don’t speak “infant” --  that’s Eggnog)
This “x1” recipe makes approx. 4 8-ounce servings. When I make it I “x4” the recipe.

6 eggs (pasteurized egg product equivalent)
½ cup sugar (or equivalent)
2 cups half ‘n half
2 cups milk
Dashes of fresh nutmeg

1. Separate eggs. Leave whites out at room temperature. (Research egg safety in your spare time and use “safe” eggs.)
2. In a large bowl beat the egg yolks.
3. Add the sugar. Mix well.
4. In a separate bowl beat the egg whites until stiff.
5. Fold the egg whites into the sugared egg yolks.
6. Slowly add the half ‘n half and milk. Fold gently.
7. Chill until very cold. (Best if chilled at least 12 hours before serving.)
8. Dispense. Sprinkle with nutmeg.

Freeze any extra. I like to use coated milk cartons for freezing eggnog blocks. You can also freeze some of it in ice cubes for a delicious snack.

The next recipe will be Eggnog Bavarian Pie.