Noggin'

When my sister's husband (then boyfriend) M first starting joining us for holiday celebrations, he brought a new and wonderful libation to the table: Eggnog. Oh, I had had eggnog before, of course, but only the stuff in the carton that you can buy at any grocery store between November 15 and January 5. It's sweet and thick, with uniform pale yellow tint. I had a few cups of it a year, sipped plain with a sprinkle of nutmeg out of the Christmas Pfalzgraff mugs at my parents' house.

M's eggnog is a whole different beast: He makes it from scratch with raw egg yolks and plenty of booze. It's still sweet, but packs a potent vodka punch. The first batch is traditionally made for Thanksgiving and makes it's debut at the Turkey Trot organized by his friends. Personally, I just can't do alcoholic nog at 9 am, but I'm always glad to partake later in the day.

Inspired by M's potion, I started making my own nog a few years ago. I read online that it could (and maybe should) be aged in the fridge for 3 weeks or more. This allows the alcohol and egg yolks to work their magic together, melding the flavors and creating a naturally thick concoction. Yes, "magic" is the technical term (I never promised I was a food scientist; here's a layman's explanation). I use the chow.com recipe linked in that article, although I have never bothered fussing with egg whites and cream to serve it as instructed. The primary alcohol is bourbon-- I use Jim Beam-- so the flavor differs from M's vodka-based nog. My Midwestern family was too nice to pick a favorite the one year I tried to foment a nog-off.

At this point, you may be wondering how this concoction fits with that whole "paleo/primal" eating thing. With an ingredient list including 3 kinds of alcohol, white sugar, whole cream, and milk, the simple answer is that it doesn't really. For me, eggnog is a special seasonal treat that should be thoroughly enjoyed, but indulged in very rarely. I've seen recipes for nog with coconut milk and no egg, but who are we kidding-- it may well be tasty, but it's not eggnog. I'd rather enjoy a few servings of the real thing and share the rest of the batch with family and friends.

To allow for 3+ weeks of aging, I mixed up this year's batch yesterday. In a nod to minimizing the use of processed sugar, I tried replacing a cup of the white sugar with 3/4 cup of Grade B maple syrup. It made the nog a lovely golden tan color, and I'm hoping the flavor will meld well with the bourbon. It doesn't look that glamorous at this point, but I can't wait to give it a try!