xardon
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posted on December 23, 2000 04:45:33 PM
I like it a lot around the holidays.
This year I have been unable to find a good nog. In years past I used to buy a brand sold under the Southern Comfort label. It was the best ever......so thick it would leave an opaque coating on a glass...... so rich you could hear your arteries slamming shut while drinking it. The brand is available again this year but it's different. It's thin, milky and lifeless, not at all noglike. Even modest dilution with my favorite additive (Bushmill's finest) makes it watery. I thought at first that maybe it was a bad production run but further testing proved otherwise.
So does anyone know where or how to get some decent eggnog?
I think dairy products are usually locally produced and marketed so it would have to be available fairly close to SE PA. I'd like to make it from scratch but the recipes I've seen make me a little nervous because of the raw egg thing. Sufficient dilution will render the quality issue moot in any nog I suppose, but I do crave the good stuff.
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kitsch1
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posted on December 23, 2000 04:49:10 PM
Braums ice cream stores sell a good nog. You just have to add the kick yourself.
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xardon
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posted on December 23, 2000 04:54:12 PM
That name doesn't sound familiar, kitsch, but I'll check it out.
Thanks.
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toke
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posted on December 23, 2000 05:15:57 PM
xardon...
You'd be safe enough making your own in small quantities...a half gallon or so. Trust me... All the store bought ones I've tried lately are thin.....
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SilkMoth
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posted on December 23, 2000 05:24:51 PM
I agree with toke, xardon. Buy the very freshest eggs you can find, keep them at 40 degrees or below until you use them, and wash the shells carefully in warm soapy water (rinse completely, of course) before you crack them.
Salmonella seems to be less of a problem now than it was even four or five years ago.
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not SilkMoth anywhere but here
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xardon
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posted on December 23, 2000 05:38:54 PM
I have a few cookbooks but the recipes shown seem too health conscious. Can you make a good eggnog with whole milk or 2% milk? I think that cream, or maybe even heavy cream, should be an ingredient in the type of eggnog I'm seeking. I only drink it for a few days a year, so it shouldn't be an excessive risk.
If anyone's willing to share a recipe that will produce the results I'm looking for, I'll sure give it a try.
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SilkMoth
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posted on December 23, 2000 05:44:30 PM
Traditional recipes use half light cream (half & half) and half heavy cream. You could use evaporated milk in place of the heavy cream; it will have the same texture and full taste but with less fat, and it won't taste watery as it might with 2% milk.
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not SilkMoth anywhere but here
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toke
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posted on December 23, 2000 05:54:04 PM
Here's a small recipe from Sardi's Bar Guide:
2 oz. brandy
1 egg
1 Tble. superfine sugar
4 oz. milk
4 oz. half and half
Dash of vanilla
Nutmeg for garnish
Combine ingredients with 2 ice cubes in a blender.
Simple, huh? You could get a lot more elaborate......
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doxdogy
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posted on December 23, 2000 05:58:51 PM
For those that have a Publix in their area, Publix brand egg nog is one of the best. Don't buy the low fat (green cap). The eggnog is real thick. The same exact kind that makes the arteries beg for mercy. I have also tried making the homemade eggnog that calls to cook the eggs. That was the nastiest tasting eggnog. We did drink homemade eggnog as a kid made with raw eggs and vanilla ice cream. It was the best. But, take the lazy route now and buy the store brand.
Theresa
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xardon
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posted on December 23, 2000 05:59:05 PM
Well, I think I'll go for the home made then. I'll make the substitution in the best looking reipe I have and see what I get.
SilkMoth, toke, kitsch1, thanks for your help and best wishes to you all for the holidays!
Oh......I checked out Braums, kel. Closest is in Missouri. I'm not that desperate yet but I saved their store locator map just in case. 
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toke
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posted on December 23, 2000 06:01:45 PM
Happy Holidays to you too, Xardon. Hope you find the Nog of your dreams.....
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HartCottageQuilts
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posted on December 23, 2000 06:21:55 PM
Can you make a good eggnog with whole milk or 2% milk?
What would be the point? IMHO, "health conscious" and "eggnog" do not belong in the same sentence unless the intent is to be cruel
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xardon
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posted on December 23, 2000 06:53:43 PM
You are, as always, correct HCQ!
Now that vanilla ice cream suggestion from doxdogy has me thinking. It may be the secret ingredient.
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MAH645
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posted on December 26, 2000 08:57:05 PM
Spiked Egg Nog and a cat in the room is not a good combo.
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njrazd
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posted on December 27, 2000 10:22:12 AM
xardon...I had to mention...I bought a store brand eggnog this year (Stater Bros) and even purchased the "light" version in the hopes of cutting some of the fat. That's very important, especially when I am scarfing down those Christmas cookies along with the eggnog!
Anyway, the nog was surprisingly thick for a store brand, but I have no idea who manufactured it for them. Nothing on the carton gives any indication. I imagine the regular variety might even be better.
It might be worth trying a few different store brands. I've got to admit the vanilla ice cream couldn't hurt though!
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xardon
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posted on December 27, 2000 10:35:38 AM
I did buy four different quarts of locally available nogs. One of them was OK, but not nearly as good as the Southern Comfort of years past. I went to the supermarket on Christmas eve day to try and buy the ingredients to make a home made version. The store was packed to the rafters and I left rather than endure the crowd and long lines. I plan on trying to make my own once I've acquired the fixings and may yet concoct a decent brew before the season is over.
I like to experiment with recipes and I'm sure I'll eventually get it right. I just don't know if my arteries can withstand the process.
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HartCottageQuilts
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posted on December 27, 2000 05:46:45 PM
Okay, I know I'm going to get a raspberry for this, but here's Martha Stewart's recipe, which really IS the best.
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mauimoods
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posted on December 27, 2000 06:18:36 PM
Now you made me want some old fashioned eggnog that I havent had in years and years.
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shar9
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posted on December 27, 2000 07:10:43 PM
HCQ,
Actually I like Martha Stewart so maybe I'll duck too but when she does make something she makes it easy to understand and see just how it is done even if someone probably did the hard work for her but then if I had her money I would too.
xardon,
I make home made banana ice cream all Summer long. I have for years and have always used raw eggs. I know, I know, but that is the way I have made it for 35 years.
If I can't get fresh cream I use 1 pt of half and half, 3 or 4 cans of Mil Not, and fill the rest to the fill line with whole milk and also use 4-6 fresh eggs along with the sugar, vanilla, bananas, dash of salt. Tasted delicious 35 yrs ago and still does today.
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