Showing posts with label Beverages. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beverages. Show all posts
When I lived in the U.K. I always made my own Eggnog. It was not something which was commercially available over there, and it was not a popular Christmas drink over there either! Most people didn't even know what it was.
And if you mentioned it to them, they would wince in disgust at the thought of drinking something so close to custard in texture and flavor. (DO note that they neverminded brandishing their puddings with copious amounts of custard!)
Anyways, I made my own and my very British husband quite enjoyed it. In fact, he wanted me to make it every year, it is that good.
This is an eggnog recipe which I have been making for many, many years now. It is foolproof so long as you follow the directions and was adapted many moons ago from a recipe I found on Eating on a Dime. I could not believe that I didn't already have it on here.
Mom used to make us eggnog at Christmas when we were growing up. She never cooked the eggs, and she had no recipe. It was simply eggs beaten together with milk, cream, sugar and nutmeg. None of us ever got sick. I am surprised at that fact. Raw eggs are well known for carrying Salmonella, and can be dangerous to the elderly and the very young.
Never killed us however.
Nowadays I would never dream of using raw eggs in anything, and that is not just because I am elderly now myself, lol. I just believe in being safe and careful about what I put into my body. Much better to use pasteurized eggs or a cooked mixture.
This is quite simply a fabulous recipe. Delicious. Rich and very easily made. I promise.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE EASY HOMEMADE EGGNOG
There is nothing extremely out of the ordinary here. You may need to go out and buy cream but that is something I usually have in the house anyways. (You never know when you are going to need some cream!)
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated white sugar
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
- 2 cups (480ml) milk
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- more grated nutmeg to garnish
- alcohol optional, see note
I always use full fat milk. You already have cream in there so full fat milk is not going to make a lot of difference calorie or fat wise! And it gives it a lovely rich flavor.
It is worth it to buy whole nutmegs and grate your own. I never buy ready ground nutmeg. Nutmeg is one of those spices that quickly deteriorates after grating so bottled ground nutmeg will not have the same punch as the stuff you grate yourself! Who really knows how long it has been grated.
Fresh grated packs much more flavor!
HOW TO MAKE EASY HOMEMADE EGGNOG
This really is very simple to make and eons better tasting than anything commercially available.
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl until very light in color, and creamy, using an electric whisk.
Combine the milk, cream, nutmeg and salt in a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat and heat just barely to a simmer. It should be hot to the touch but not boiling.
Remove from the heat. Add one cup of the warm mixture to the egg mixture, whisking it in continuously. (This is called tempering the eggs.) Continue to whisk in the warm mixture until it has been thoroughly amalgamated.
Pour back into the saucepan and return to the stove top. Continue to whisk and cook until the mixture reaches 160*F/71*C. The mixture should be coating the back of a metal spoon.
Remove from the heat. Whisk in any alcohol (if using) and the vanilla.
Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a glass container, cover with plastic wrap and chill thoroughly. If you think it is too thick (once chilled) you can whisk in a few more tablespoons of milk or cream to get it to the consistency you desire.
Serve in chilled glasses with a fresh grating of nutmeg on top. This will keep for up to one week in the refrigerator.
TO ADD THE OPTIONAL ALCOHOL
Add 1/4 cup (60ml) brandy, bourbon or rum at the same time as you add your vanilla.
Taste and adjust as necessary.
This is the eggnog that I used to make every Christmas when I lived in the U.K. Commercial Eggnog was not available there and to be honest, once you make your own from scratch you will never be happy with any other kind.
This will keep up to a week chilling in an airtight container in the refrigerator, but I doubt if you have it that long. You may have to make more. YES, it is that good!
I enjoyed a lovely cup of this yesterday with my lunch. As a flight of fancy I made myself two open-faced cucumber sandwiches on bread I had cut into the shapes of Christmas trees. I sprinkled them with some salt, pepper and a bit of dill. Of course I had to have something sweet as well. So I had a gingerbread man shortbread, a Scottie dog shortbread and a cheeky cake. It was like a little min-tea party for one!
PS - I never add any alcohol to mine. I like it just as is.
This is really delicious. When I was in the U.K. I did use it to cook with in a variety of recipes. If you are fond of the flavor of eggnog, you might also enjoy the following eggnog flavored recipes!
EGGNOG SCONES - Eight, springy, nubbly-edged breakfast treats made with eggnog and then topped with eggnog glaze. Incredibly delicious, these always go down a real treat with a hot drink, or yes, more eggnog. (What can I say? I love LOVE eggnog!)
EGGNOG THUMBPRINT SHORTBREAD COOKIES - A delicious adaptation of another recipe which I incorporated eggnog flavors into. Vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon and rum. Short and buttery cookies with a thumb sized dimple in the middle. Just perfect to fill with a lush and rich eggnog buttercream frosting!
Yield: 4 cups
Easy Homemade Egg Nog
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 10 MinTotal time: 25 Min
This is the best eggnog, so much more delicious than any commercial brand. Once you start making your own from scratch you will not be happy with anything you buy ready made.
Ingredients
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated white sugar
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
- 2 cups (480ml) milk
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- more grated nutmeg to garnish
- alcohol optional, see note
Instructions
- Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl until very light in color, and creamy, using an electric whisk.
- Combine the milk, cream, nutmeg and salt in a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat and heat just barely to a simmer. It should be hot to the touch, but not boiling.
- Remove from the heat. Add one cup of the warm mixture to the egg mixture, whisking it in continuously. (This is called tempering the eggs.) Continue to whisk in the warm mixture until it has been thoroughly amalgamated.
- Pour back into the saucepan and return to the stove top. Continue to whisk and cook until the mixture reaches 160*F/71*C. The mixture should be coating the back of a metal spoon.
- Remove from the heat. Whisk in any alcohol (if using) and the vanilla.
- Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a glass container, cover with plastic wrap and chill thoroughly. If you think it is too thick (once chilled) you can whisk in a few more tablespoons of milk or cream to get it to the consistency you desire.
- Serve in chilled glasses with a fresh grating of nutmeg on top. This will keep for up to one week in the refrigerator.
Notes
TO ADD THE OPTIONAL ALCOHOL
Add 1/4 cup (60ml) brandy, bourbon or rum at the same time as you add your vanilla.
Taste and adjust as necessary.
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True confessions here. I have never had a Shamrock Shake. Living in the UK for all those years, Shamrock Shakes were not something they ever had at McDonald's and to be honest in England they don't celebrate Saint Patrick's Day either for the most part.
It is largely left up to the individual I guess. They had a lot of other tasty stuff at McDonald's which we don't get here at home, but no Shamrock Shakes. I have always wanted to taste one. They look so refreshingly indulgent.
I found this recipe online and it is purported to be a copycat recipe for Shamrock Shakes. I can't give you any one link because all the copycats are the same and are on a host of different pages.
For my own purposes I used lactose free ice cream and milk and I made half a recipe because I am only one. But even half a recipe was very generous in its size. So although it says two servings in the recipe, I would say it would easily please three people with smaller servings, or if your children are really young, four.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE SHAMROCK SHAKES
Only 4 simple ingredients, excluding the topping and garnish.
- 4 cups (2 pints) good quality vanilla ice cream (that's two containers of Hagen Das)
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk
- 1/2 tsp pure peppermint extract
- 1/4 tsp green gel food coloring
To finish:
- whipped cream
- colored sprinkles to top
This is a fun dessert for the kids or even for adults. A bit indulgent perhaps, but what a treat!
First of all use the best ice cream that you can afford. One which uses real milk and cream, and vanilla. Nothing artificial.
As I said I used the lactose free products because of my IBS.
The danger here is in using too much green coloring and or peppermint extract. You don't want it to taste like toothpaste.
You can adult them by using some crème de menthe in the place of the peppermint extract. In that case you could use a bit more than 1/2 tsp. How much is up to you! Just remember you don't want to water down your shake too much!
You can also use liquid food coloring. How much depends on how green you want it to be! I used squirty cream, but the real whipped squirty cream not the artificial. The brand I used was Gay Lea. If you want the cream to hold up longer, do whip your own cream from scratch.
My sprinkles came from Sweetpolita. They are actually Christmas ones. I picked out any reds and pinks, so that I just had greens and variants of green. I thought the yellow stars were cute!
HOW TO MAKE SHAMROCK SHAKES
Nothing could be easier, but you will need a blender, or a stick blender for this fun Saint Patrick's Day dessert!!
These really are fun and delicious, but do be warned that each serving packs in a wallop of calories, over 600 per half recipe. Another good reason you may want to cut down the serving sizes and serve them to more people than just two.
Place the ice cream, milk, peppermint extract and food coloring into blender. Cover and blend until smooth.
Taste and adjust the flavor. If you want it to be a bit greener you can add a bit more food coloring and blend again.
Divide between two tall glasses, top with whipped cream and sprinkles and serve immediately.
But if you aren't worried about that sort of thing, by all means tuck in, indulge and enjoy! Happy Saint Patrick's Day everyone!
All of the content you see here on this page, both photography and written, are the sole property of The English Kitchen, Marie Rayner. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.
Shamrock Shakes
Yield: 2
Prep time: 10 MinTotal time: 10 Min
Something fun for Saint Patrick's Day!
Ingredients
- 4 cups (2 pints) good quality vanilla ice cream
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk
- 1/2 tsp pure peppermint extract
- 1/4 tsp green gel food colouring
To finish:
- whipped cream
- coloured sprinkles to top
Instructions
- Place the ice cream, milk, peppermint extract and food coloring into blender. Cover and blend until smooth.
- Taste and adjust the flavor. If you want it to be a bit greener you can add a bit more food coloring and blend again.
- Divide between two tall glasses, top with whipped cream and sprinkles and serve immediately.
I saw these marshmallows at Asda the other day and I just could not resist picking up a package! They are so cute. Little snowman faces. I just couldn't pass them by without picking up a package! (or two)
Hot cocoa has never been my favourite drink. First of all I am not fond of chocolate milk, or chocolate ice cream. I adore chocolate candy and chocolate bakes, but when it comes to milk, I could take or leave it.
Add to that the fact that most hot cocoa powders you get to use at home and largely disappointing. You end up with watery hot cocoa with lumps and bits of cocoa powder in them, because no matter how hard you try you just can't get the cocoa to dissolve completely!
About the only place you can get a decent hot chocolate is at one of the coffee shops and then it costs more than a coffee and is far too sweet for my taste.
Todd, on the other hand, really loves a nice cup of hot cocoa, although in all truth he finds the packaged hot cocoa mixes a huge disappointment as well.
One exception is the Strawberry Hot Cocoa Mix that I make myself. That is perfectly delicious. I saw a recipe on a blog called Baking Mischief the other day for a creamy rich hot chocolate sized for one person the other day and so I printed it out and decided to try it for Todd.
Oh boy . . . this is the Cadillac of Hot Chocolates! Its rich and creamy and quite delicious!
I adapted it to our tastes and measures. I left out the espresso powder as we don't drink coffee drinks in our home as we are Latter Day Saints.
Do feel free to add it if that isn't a problem for you, its only 1/4 tsp. I also adapted it so that I could make it in the microwave without having to dirty a saucepan.
I confess I had a little sip and it was absolutely gorgeous! That's coming from me who doesn't really like hot chocolate, so you know it must be really good! Todd felt very special when I set this down in front of him.
Creamy and Rich Hot Cocoa For One
Yield: 1
The perfect cup of cocoa, rich and creamy and beautifully sized for just one. You don't get much better than this!
ingredients:
- 1 TBS white sugar
- 1 TBS unsweetened cocoa powder
- pinch salt
- 1 TBS boiling water
- 160ml whole milk (2/3 cup)
- 80ml heavy cream (1/3 cup)
- 2 heaped TBS semi sweet chocolate chips
- your favourite toppings (marshmallows, whipped cream, etc.)
instructions:
How to cook Creamy and Rich Hot Cocoa For One
- Combine the sugar, cocoa powder, salt and boiling water to make a paste in the bottom of a measuring cup. Add the milk, whisking to combine well. Put in the microwave and microwave on high for one minute. Whisk in the cream and return to the microwave and microwave on high for one minute longer. (Keep an eye on it. You don't want it to bubble over.) Add the chocolate chips and whisk all together to melt the chocolate chips. Transfer to your favourite mug, top as desired and enjoy!
There are ways that you could adapt this to someone who needs to watch their sugars. For one, leave off the marshmallows. Two you could use a granulated sugar substitute instead of real sugar. You could also use evaporated skim milk instead of cream and semi sweet milk instead of whole milk I would leave in the chocolate chips however. We can't take away ALL of the fun and goodness can we?
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