The most classic drink of the Christmas season is egg nog. The majority of the people who will be downing some this year will be doing so with some store purchased variety. But this is something you should make in the home. Why not? You are only going to do it once a year. You never hear of anyone sipping some egg nog on the porch on a warm July afternoon. So why not make the only nog of your year be a good one. Alton Brown in the episode "School of Hard Nogs" shows the viewer how to make some serious egg nog.
One of the most important lessons to making great egg nog is learning how to separate eggs. Any bit of yoke in your whites will ruin them. Alton practices the method of separating the eggs into a separate bowl and only combining all the whites once he is sure no yoke has got in.
Next, he talks about nutmeg. Grating your own nutmeg is key to getting the best flavor. I use a Microplane Grater/Zester
whenever I need to grate some nutmeg. Another flavor that is often added to egg nog is bourbon. If you don't want the alcohol you can just leave it out.
Alton points out to not forget to wash the beaters on your mixer before you beat your whites as they have come into contact with egg yolks. Another concern one might have with this recipe is consuming undercooked eggs. They do make pasteurized eggs, but if you can't find them you can also use the cooked custard method. If you have ever made ice cream using eggs then this will be pretty easy for you. Speaking of ice cream, you could throw the whole mixture minus the beaten egg whites into your favorite ice cream maker and churn out some good eats.
So this Christmas, if you want some egg nog, forget the store, make it yourself. Check out the Good Eats page on Food Network's website for the full instructions.
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