Little Steps Recipe: Make Your Own Eggnog At Home

Eggnog is a creamy, frothy festive drink popular in England, Canada, and America for the holiday season. Sadly for us in Jakarta, this sweet decadent drink is not as easily available at the grocery stores. But now, fret not! Little Steps has an easy eggnog recipe that anyone can follow so we can all enjoy this wonderful Christmas-flavored beverage. The recipe is for a non-alcoholic version so the whole family can enjoy the tradition, but if you want more punch in your cup then feel free to add either rum, brandy, or cognac.

Living in Jakarta has its own perks. In this case, easy access to spices where they came from comes in really handy. Choose whole nutmegs and grate them as you need and use real vanilla beans from the pod instead of extracts for extra delicious flavors!

What you need:

• 6 egg yolks
• 1 cup sugar (note: if you prefer less sweet eggnog then you can reduce the sugar to 1/2 cup)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (grate your own if you can!)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ground cinnamon for topping (optional)

How to make it:

1. With an electric mixer, whisk the eggs, slowly adding the sugar until light and creamy.
2. Meanwhile, in a saucepan over low-medium heat, bring the milk, cream, and nutmeg together until warm and steamy. Important: do not let it boil nor simmer. Just warm and steamy!
3. To avoid your egg mixture from curdling, you need to temper it. Here’s how:
   1. Slowly stir your egg mixture with one hand with a whisk. You can ask your little one for help on this one!
   2. Pour a ladleful of steamy milk into the egg mixture while whisking.
   3. Repeat step 2 several times until at least half of your milk is in the egg mixture and your egg mixture is warm to touch.
   4. Finally, pour the tempered egg mixture into the saucepan
4. Continue cooking your mixture, stir once in a while, carefully making sure that it doesn’t boil. Once the mixture nicely covers the back of a spoon when dipped, remove from heat. It will continue to thicken as it cools off.
5. Stir in the vanilla extract and the alcohol if you wish.
6. Strain into a glass jar and chill. You can either give it an ice bath first or stick it straight into the fridge.
7. Serve with a dash of ground cinnamon and whipped cream (optional).
8. Enjoy!

Buy the ingredients:

• Little Step’s Guide To Online Grocery Shops In Jakarta