Need something besides politics to polarize the family during the holidays? Bring up eggnog.
This seasonal drink has plenty of haters, but if it keeps showing up year after year, somebody must be drinking it without disparaging it as "ugh-nog."
For Jarrod Brown, it's all about nostalgia.
"The holidays and eggnog go hand in hand," says the chef at Adelle's Creperie on East Main Street. "It puts me in the holiday spirit when I'm drinking it."
It's a fairly simple concoction made with eggs, milk, cream and spices - basically the ingredients of ice cream, but served in liquid form. It's often fortified with rum, whiskey or brandy.
According to PBS' History Kitchen, most culinary historians agree that eggnog began as a drink called posset during Britain's medieval years. Posset was made of hot milk, curdled with ale, wine or the like, and often sweetened and spiced. Eventually, it is believed monks added in whipped eggs, and possibly figs, to the mix.
"What we do know for certain is that posset was more popular in the upper classes due to the expensive price of milk, eggs and sherry at that time," says TheHistoryKitchen.com. "Because of its hefty price tag, posset was often used in toasts to good health and prosperity."
Eggnog's popularity eventually began to wane overseas, but it found a new following in the American colonies. Many American families had their own farms to supply them with the necessary milk and eggs. Rather than spiking it with sherry and madeira, which were harder to come by, the colonists used the more readily available whiskey and rum.
Many families have recipes they swear by, but it's not just homemade versions that turn up at holiday parties to be dipped from the punch bowl.
Dairies produce it by the gallon this time of year. Mayfield even sells it by the pint for an on-the-go holiday pick-me-up.
Fast-food restaurants and coffee shops have plenty of options. Starbucks spikes its Eggnog Latte with espresso and nutmeg. Dunkin' goes the sweeter route with a Holiday Eggnog Signature Latte flavored with cinnamon and drizzled with caramel. Krystal makes its Eggnog Shake with soft-serve ice cream.
Chefs at finer establishments often like to experiment with the eggy mixture.
In the Bluff View Art District, there's an array of holiday drinks and treats, including an eggnog latte, made with a traditional eggnog recipe, as well as eggnog truffles, individually wrapped and available in five-piece boxes.
"The eggnog truffles are handmade by our French chocolatier, Jerome Savin - eggnog and rum ganache, white chocolate, red and green cocoa butter," says Joe Beck, director of marketing. "The five-piece box makes a great stocking stuffer, and I should probably take one home to my wife today."
Discovery Communications provides this recipe for Nonalcoholic Eggnog from the Food Network Kitchen.
Photo from Bluff View Art District / The eggnog truffles at Bluff View Art District are made of eggnog and rum ganache, white chocolate and red and green cocoa butter. They come individually wrapped and are sold in five-piece boxes.
Non-alcoholic Eggnog
Make your next holiday celebration extra special with homemade eggnog. Your guests will absolutely notice the difference. This version is kid-friendly but can be spiked with a little rum or vodka for adults.
You'll need a candy thermometer for best results.
Yield: About 6 cups
Active time: 30 minutes
Total time: 3 hours, 35 minutes (includes cooling and chilling times)
3 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
Kosher salt
3 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg, plus more for sprinkling
Finely grated lemon zest, for serving, optional
Whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, sugar and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl.
Heat the milk and 3/4 cup of the cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the liquid starts to steam; remove from the heat.
Whisk about 1 cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture, then pour the milk-egg mixture back into the saucepan. Return the saucepan to medium heat, and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and a thermometer reads 165 degrees F, about 5 minutes.
Remove the saucepan from the heat, and stir in the vanilla and nutmeg. Strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a medium bowl, and let it cool at room temperature until it is no longer hot, about 1 hour. Refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours up to 3 days.
When ready to serve, whip the remaining 3/4 cup cream with an electric mixer in a large bowl to medium peaks. Then, while whisking, slowly pour in the cold milk-egg mixture. The eggnog should be creamy and thicker than heavy cream. Serve with a light sprinkle of nutmeg and lemon zest if using.
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Here's a repeat of a Marvil family recipe for eggnog from the Times Free Press archives, circa 2017.
This recipe, supplied by Josh Marvil, was handed down from his mother, Mary Marjorie Mullins Marvil, who was an Army nurse stationed in Paris in World War II. It was there that she met her future husband, Fred Marvil, who would become a colonel. Though the recipe gets its name from "the colonel," it remains a family mystery who the responsible colonel was. Josh Marvil says it wasn't his father's recipe.
The Colonel's Eggnog a.k.a The Marvil Family Recipe
1 dozen eggs, separated
1 pound powdered sugar
1 quart good-quality blended whiskey (such as Four Roses)
1 quart light rum
1/2 pint dark rum
1 pint brandy
1 quart whole milk
1 quart heavy whipping cream
Whip egg yolks until lemon-colored in a large mixing bowl. Gradually whip in powdered sugar. Slowly whip in all the liquors and milk. Beat egg whites till stiff, then blend in. Whip cream, and fold into mixture.
Store in refrigerator in covered containers for at least two weeks. Shake well, and serve with a dash of nutmeg or cinnamon. The longer it sets, the better the taste.
Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281.