Perfume Illuminated: Eggnog

My brother in law Peter is a quiet, very laid back research scientist. 362 days of the year he is a semi strict vegetarian, who hardly ever touches alcohol, let alone massive amounts of eggs and cream! However on Solstice Eve,  Christmas day and New Years eve, he has been known to ask me for this eggnog and being the terrific guy that he is, I never refuse to make it for him! It's simply known in our family as Peter's eggnog and it's delicious! It's so easy to make and it's even better when served in a punchbowl surrounded by spicy yuletide greenery! You can make the recipe from scratch if you desire and if I have the time sometimes I will using whole organic eggs, milk, sugar and cream, but frankly when the good organic eggnogs are so plentiful why bother (and you have the added bonus of not having to worry about raw eggs)! Also, if you have anyone in your family who is allergic to milk, don't forget about Silk's soy eggnog or SoyNog as I believe it's called! Actually all of the milk substitutes (actually I think that it is a disservice to call them that as they are delicious in their own rights!) are fashioning wonderful eggnogs that you can use as the base for this recipe.  They're absolutely delicious  and you will be able to serve a delicious and festive holiday beverage that leaves no one feeling left out! The good news this year is that you don't even have to omit the whipped cream because theres a fabulous whipped rice cream available in a can and ready to use like Redi Whip. Made by Soyana, you should be able to find it at your local Whole Foods.

At any rate every year  , people beg me for this recipe and I'm always so embarrassed to tell them just how easy it is...with this one it's all in the presentation (and the rum!) At last years Winter Solstice party I think that we went through about 3 punch bowls of it and lots of the RSVP's for this years party start with "Ill see you around the eggnog bowl!" 

 

All you will need is :

 

3 quarts of organic eggnog ( Please splurge on the organic, you won't be sorry!)

 

About 2 cups of really good rum! I personally love the Captain Morgan's special reserve spiced rum for this recipe. It's already infused with spices and vanilla.... practically perfume! ( And I have been known to use it as such!)

 About 6 cups of dried raisins that you've soaked for about 6 hours in some brandy,reserving the brandy for the eggnog as well! 

Lots of creme chantilly  , aka whipped cream that has been infused with vanilla extract, simple sugar syrup and some rum flavoring.

 

A liberal sprinkling of ,

 

Nutmeg for joy and good luck, Cinnamon for love and prosperity and Allspice for good health throughout the year!

 

The recipe itself is quite easy, simply put the eggnog into a punch bowl and whisk in the rum and brandy. Ladle the creme chantilly onto the eggnog so that it looks like fluffy clouds of cream, sprinkle with the spices and serve. Put some of the raisins in each serving. You will need to add more whipped cream on top as the evening unfolds because the creme chantilly gets folded into the eggnog, making it AMAZING! Serve in a lovely punch glass or a pretty tea cup with a kiss and a wish for a marvelous New Year!