Christmas Flavors: Eggnog

Ooooh, eggnog. It's a good thing this stuff only comes around once a year. There are so many recipes to try...and if you made them all year long, you would weigh 1,000 pounds.

I did try a few good ones this year...with plenty left over to try next year...and the year after...and the year after that...

Enjoy the ones I discovered this time around!

Eggnog Rice Pudding

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups eggnog
5 teaspoons cornstarch
2 cups long grain rice
1/2 cup finely chopped red and green candied cherries
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Place 2 cups eggnog in a heavy saucepan. Combine cornstarch and remaining eggnog until smooth; add to pan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; boil for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in rice, cherries, vanilla, and salt. Spoon into dishes. Chill 2-3 hours. Yield: 4-6 servings.

Nutrition information: 1 serving (1 cup) equals 250 calories, 7 g fat, 56 mg cholesterol, 161 mg sodium, 41 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 5 g protein.

Source: Taste of Home recipe found here.

Notes: I left out the candied cherries. I just don't like competing flavors with my eggnog desserts. I think I will try this again next year and try just a plain pudding version (with no rice) and a tapioca version. I would also suggest cooking the rice with extra water so that the rice is more tender than usual. My rice was well cooked, but I would have preferred it softer to match the texture of the eggnog pudding.

I would also suggest sprinkling this with a little nutmeg. If you like pudding and you like eggnog, you will like this!

Eggnog Pound Cake

Ingredients:

1 (16 oz) package pound cake mix
1 1/4 cups eggnog (I would suggest 1 1/2 cups)
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (or 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat all ingredients together at low speed with an electric mixer until blended. Increase speed to medium, and beat 2 minutes. Pour into a lightly greased 9x5-inch loaf pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour to 1 hour and 5 minutes, or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 1 hour).

Source: Southern Living, December 2009. You can find the recipe here.

 

Notes: At first, I was a little disappointed in this recipe because I thought it was a little dry. So, I wrapped it up...and had a piece a few days later and it was fantastic! It just needed a day to sit and a little more moisture. So, the second time I made it, I added more eggnog and topped it with an eggnog glaze. Voila! Problem solved. Delicate flavor and very moist. Delicious. 

Eggnog Glaze

Ingredients:

2 tbsp eggnog
1/2 tsp. rum extract
1-2 cups powdered sugar (enough to reach your desired glaze consistency)

Directions:

Whisk all ingredients together and drizzle over cooled eggnog pound cake.  

Eggnog Quick Bread

Ingredients:

2 eggs, beaten
1 cup eggnog
2 teaspoons rum flavored extract
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom only of a 9x5 inch loaf pan, or three 3x5 inch loaf pans.

Cream the butter and sugar. Mix in the vanilla, rum extract, and eggs. Mix in the eggnog. Sift together the dry ingredients and add to the eggnog mixture. Stir just enough to moisten. Pour into prepared pans.

Bake large loaf for 40-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Breads baked in the smaller pans require 35-40 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely, wrap tightly in plastic wrap or foil, and store in refrigerator.

Source: Allrecipes.com submitted by Bev. You can find the recipe here.

Notes: We changed up the mixing pattern because they just threw in all the wet at once. I felt like the butter never really did mix in. The way we have written it is a more traditional way of mixing up quick bread.

Eggnog Fruit/Dessert Dip

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups eggnog
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon rum extract, optional
Assorted fruit and pound cake cubes

Directions:

In a small saucepan, combine the eggnog and cornstarch until smooth. Bring to a boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream. Cool completely.

In a small bowl, beat whipping cream and sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold into eggnog mixture with extract, if desired. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve with fruit and cake cubes. Yield: About 2 1/2 cups.

Source: Taste of Home. Recipe found here.

French Toast a la Eggnog

Yield: 2 servings

Nonstick cooking spray
2 eggs
1/2 to 3/4 cup eggnog
4 slices thick-cut bread (approx. 1 1/2 inches thick)
Favorite French Toast toppings: fresh fruit slices, syrup, preserves

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Evenly coat baking sheet with cooking spray. In shallow dish, beat together eggs and eggnog until well blended. Dip bread in egg mixture, one slice at a time, letting stand 30-45 seconds on each side. Place slices on baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven and turn slices. Return to oven and continue baking until lightly browned and no visible liquid egg remains, about 15 minutes.

Source: My Mom found this one years ago. I have no idea where she got it from.