Homemade Egg Nog Christmas eve is usually a quiet day for us, with perhaps some last minute shopping that is over early in the day, followed by Christmas music, egg nog, some appetizer type foods like a beef dip my mom makes, and hope its cold enough in Florida for a fire in the fireplace. Then, a late night wrapping frenzy....

Ok, that is what I remember for childhood, and last year, but if I think back to my midwife days it meant running around doing ALL the shopping, getting a tree up (we usually got free trees since we would go so late the lots were closed and we would just have to grab a tree!), and trying to take a breathe and hope no babies would be born for a few hours while I tried to recover my nerves from another year of baby catching. Did I mention I do not miss midwife work as I did it in the US? I am so much less manic right now.

So this year, things were calm by comparision to some. But if I was to have the egg nog as part of the day's tradition I would have to make it myself since, it is not sold in Sweden. Its orgin is debated, and thought to be from england, and the name nog to orginated from the type of cup used- called a noggin. I am not super attached to egg nog or think its the world's greatest drink or anything, but I seldom have a Christmas with out tasting egg nog and being far from home, wanted to do what I can to make the holidays feel familiar and traditional. So I took on the challenge of making egg nog from scratch. Who knew egg nog, which is obviously rich, but comes in packages with nutritional labels I refuse to read, actually has 12 egg yolks and 4 cups of whole cream in just 2 liters??? Wowsers. I had that much cream but could not bring myself to stir it into something I may end up drinking by myself, so I used low fat milk instead, to replace cream and rum in this recipe. Yes, the texture suffered. However, I only have to think of the bagillion egg yolk instead of the loads of fat, at least, when I drink it.

Here is the recipe I used from eggnogrecipe.net. Again, who knew there even was such a site?? But it is there is you too ever need it- I am so grateful for the internet.

Christmas Eggnog
12 egg yolks

5 cloves, whole

4 cups milk

4 cups cream

3 cups light rum

1+¾ cups sugar

2+ ½ teaspoons vanilla essence

1 teaspoon cinnamon,

ground¾ teaspoon nutmeg, ground

In a saucepan over low heat, blend the milk, cinnamon, cloves and half a teaspoon of the vanilla essence.Keep stirring while mixture heats, and remove from heat just before boiling point.In a bowl, mix together the sugar with all those egg yolks.Make sure you whisk them well so that they're light and fluffy.Gently and a little at a time, pour in the milk mixture while continuing to whisk.Transfer mixture back into your saucepan over a medium heat while continuing to stir.Keep stirring until your eggnog mixture starts to resemble custard.Never let the mixture to reach boiling point!!Pour and strain the mixture into a jug, making sure to remove the cloves.Stand jug in the fridge for an hour or two.Gently stir in the cream, light rum, remaining vanilla and ground nutmeg.Put back into the fridge overnight.Serve in cups with a little extra ground nutmeg, cinnamon or baking cocoa sprinkled lightly on top.
Serves: 8.

I love my old school hand blender, it made the egg yolks all frothy

And I thought we would never use the double boiler I got for Christmas last year, Thanks mom! I was to cook until custard texture, well, having never made custard before I guessed it meant until it was creamy. After that I poured it in a pitcher, and sure enough it got all custardy...Have you ever seen how beautiful nutmeg is inside when you grind it fresh? I served some to the Swedes on Christmas and they were excited to try the exotic only heard of in movie drink egg nog. But after a few tastes, I poured most of it down the sink- they agreed it was too sweet, and tasted like vanilla sauce, and thought it seemed more like something to pour over a fruit dessert than to drink.

But I got Christmas Eve egg nog, and was happy!

Christmas eve photo before dinner: