But what really makes eggnog so special? It’s all about the ingredients and the way they come together to create the perfect creamy, sweet, and boozy holiday treat. In this article, we’ll explore the history of eggnog and provide step-by-step instructions for making the perfect batch. Whether you’re a seasoned eggnog connoisseur or a beginner looking to try it for the first time, you’ll learn everything you need to know about this classic holiday drink. So grab your ingredients and let’s get started!

The history of eggnog

Eggnog has a long and storied history that dates back centuries. One of the most enduring questions about the drink is where it got its name. Some historians believe that the word “eggnog” may have come from the British slang term “noggin”, which was a type of wooden mug that was popular during the Middle Ages. Another theory is that the term “nog” was borrowed from the Welsh “nog”, which means “nut-milk”. And still others suggest that the word “nog” is actually derived from the Gaelic word “nog”, which refers to “strong liquor.”

The first documented evidence of eggnog was found in the writings of a British physician named Dr. David Jones, who referred to the drink as “egg and spiced ale”. This would date the drink’s origins back to the 15th century, when it was served as a seasonal alcoholic beverage that was typically consumed during the Christmas season. However, it wasn’t until the 16th century that eggnog made its way over to North America. In the 1650s, British colonists introduced the drink to the New World, where it was quickly embraced as a seasonal beverage.

What’s more, eggnog was a staple at colonial American social gatherings and parties, and was often used as a medicine to treat common ailments like the common cold. In fact, the drink’s medicinal properties made it particularly popular during the 18th century, when doctors used eggnog to nurse patients back to health after an illness.

What makes eggnog so special?

Eggnog is a mixture made from milk, eggs, sugar, and alcohol. It is traditionally served either cold or warm. The exact ingredients and ratios of these ingredients vary depending on who you ask and where you are in the world. There is no single, official recipe for eggnog, and that’s what makes it so special. Each recipe is different and contains its own unique blend of ingredients. The key to making eggnog truly special is finding the right ingredients and mixing them together in the right way. If you choose the right ingredients, you can make a delicious and creamy drink that’s perfect for any occasion. If you choose the wrong ingredients, you’ll end up with something that isn’t very good. So, let’s look at the ingredients for making eggnog in more detail.

Basic ingredients for eggnog

Eggs:

The first thing we’ll look at is the eggs. The quality of the eggs used to make eggnog is especially important because it will affect the overall taste and texture. Too many people make the mistake of using cheap, store-bought eggs for their eggnog and end up with something that’s not very good. For the best eggnog, you’ll want to use farm-fresh eggs.

And if you want to go all out, you can even use backyard eggs or heritage breed heirloom eggs. Eggs are important because they add a rich, creamy texture to the drink. They also contain fat, which makes the drink rich and creamy. The quality of the eggs will determine the overall taste of the eggnog. The fresher the eggs, the better. Fresh eggs have a higher yolk-to-white ratio, which means you’ll get a richer consistency with fresher eggs.

Milk:

The next ingredient is milk. You can use any type of milk you wish for making eggnog, but whole milk and cream are generally considered to be the best options. Milk is important because it adds a creamy texture to the drink, along with sweetness. The amount of milk you add will affect the consistency of the eggnog. More milk will make it thinner, while less milk will make it thicker. Fresh milk is always better, but you can also use canned milk if you don’t have access to fresh milk.

Sugar:

The last main ingredient is sugar. You can use any type of sugar you like for making eggnog, but some types of sugar are better than others. For example, brown sugar is better because it has a richer, fuller flavor than white sugar. You should use about 2 teaspoons of sugar per cup of milk. This is a general guideline and might vary slightly depending on your personal preferences. You can also experiment with different types of sugar to find out which one you like best.

image: https://www.foodandwine.com/best-eggnog-6833304

Step-by-step instructions for making eggnog

If you follow these steps, you’ll be able to make a batch of delicious and creamy eggnog in no time at all.

1- First, you’ll need to decide what kind of eggnog you want to make. Do you want traditional eggnog, rich eggnog, or light eggnog? Traditional eggnog contains an equal amount of milk, eggs, and rum. Rich eggnog is made with more milk and less rum than traditional eggnog. And light eggnog is made with less milk and more rum than traditional eggnog.

2- Next, you’ll need to decide how you want to serve your eggnog. You can either warm up the eggnog and serve it warm, or you can chill it and serve it cold. You can also warm up half of the eggnog and chill the other half so that you can enjoy the drink in both warm and cold varieties.

3- Once you’ve decided how you want to serve the eggnog, you’ll need to gather your ingredients. You’ll need 1 whole nutmeg, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of ground ginger, 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg, 1 whole cinnamon stick, 1 cup of sugar, 6 whole eggs, 1 liter of milk, 1 liter of heavy cream, and 1 liter of dark rum.

4- You can also add other ingredients to your eggnog if you want. This can include vanilla extract, ground clove, ground allspice, ground cardamom, or ground cloves. – Once you’ve gathered all your ingredients, you’re ready to start making the eggnog. First, you’ll want to grate the nutmeg, chop the cinnamon stick, and grind the ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.

5- Then, whisk the eggs, sugar, and milk together in a large pot. Add the heavy cream, whole nutmeg, cinnamon stick, and ground spices and stir until everything is fully mixed and well combined.

6- Now, you can add the rum and vanilla extract. Stir again until the ingredients are well mixed.

Once all of your ingredients are mixed together, you can either serve the eggnog warm or chill it and serve it cold. If you want to warm it up, simply place the pot on the stove and heat it up until it’s nice and warm. If you want to chill it, place the pot in the refrigerator until it’s nice and cold.

*featured top image: https://thestayathomechef.com/old-fashioned-non-alcoholic-eggnog/

*********************************************

Cousin Eddie Eggnog Scene – Christmas Vacation 

The post The Delicious History of Eggnog: A Guide to Making the Perfect Holiday Drink appeared first on til Christmas.

The Origin of the Fruitcake

The fruitcake is a holiday tradition in many countries, including the United States and Great Britain. The history of the fruitcake can be traced back to ancient times when it was believed that spices could preserve food for long periods.

Fruitcakes are traditionally made with candied fruits, nuts, and various other ingredients, including alcohol (usually brandy or rum) which can also help prevent spoiling.

Fruitcakes were initially made in the fall, so they would have time to dry out before winter came along and preserved until Christmas or another celebratory occasion when they would be served again.

image: mycountrytable.com/white-fruitcake/

UK

Fruitcakes are produced in the UK in a variety of flavours, from the very light to the rich and luscious.

A spherical fruitcake coated in marzipan and then white royal icing or fondant frosting is the standard Christmas dessert. They are frequently further embellished with snow landscapes, genuine or fake holly branches and berries, or miniature ornamental robins or snowmen. This style of cake is also frequently offered as part of the dessert course at weddings.

It’s frequently served with cheese in Yorkshire. The Genoa cake is an example of this kind of fruitcake. Fruitcakes in the UK frequently include currants and glace cherries. The Dundee Cake, a kind of fruitcake with Scottish roots, gets its name from Keiller’s marmalade.

United States

Fruit and nuts are plentiful in typical American fruitcakes.

American fruitcake mail orders first appeared in 1913. The Claxton Bakery in Claxton, Georgia, and Collin Street Bakery in Corsicana, Texas, are two well-known fruitcake bakeries in the United States. The phrase “nutty as a fruitcake” was coined in 1935 to describe two Southern manufacturers, Collin Street and Claxton. Charities sometimes sell commercial fruitcakes from catalogues as a means of raising money.

The majority of fruitcakes sold in bulk quantities in America are alcohol-free, but those made from traditional recipes are soaked in liqueurs or brandy and dusted with powdered sugar, both of which inhibit the growth of mold. Fruitcakes can be stored in brandy (or wine)-soaked linens, and some people believe that fruitcakes enhance with brandy.

Bulgaria

The typical fruitcake is called keks in Bulgaria, where it is baked at home and enjoyed all year long. Keks recipes can be found in a variety of forms, but they often include flour, butter and/or cooking oil, milk, yeast, yoghurt, eggs, chocolate, walnuts, and raisins. Typically, it is cooked in Bundt-style pans.

Easter fruitcake known as kozunak is another variety that is created with particularity.

Germany

Typically, fruitcake-like baked items in Germany are referred to as sweet breads rather than cakes.

Stollen is fashioned like a loaf and is frequently dusted with icing sugar. Yeast, butter, water, and flour are typically used in its preparation, along with raisins, almonds, candied citrus peel, and citrus zest.

Italy

A chewy, rich Tuscan fruitcake with a history stretching back to Siena in the 13th century, panettone panforte. Panforte is a shallow-baked bread that has a strong spice taste. Its name means “strong bread.” Pandolce is the name of a lower, denser, but still crumbly form of fruitcake from Genoa (“sweet bread”).

Panettone is a Milanese sweet bread loaf that is popular in Italy and many other nations and eaten around Christmas. It is often packed with dried and candied fruits and has a bread loaf consistency similar to Irish barm brack.

The Best Holiday Fruitcake Recipes

The first step to making a fruitcake is finding a recipe you like. There are various fruitcake flavors, each with different ingredients and baking durations.

Ensure you have all the ingredients listed in your chosen recipe—it’s too late to run to the store halfway through.

Next, consider how long it will take you to make the cake before beginning. According to your skill level and time commitment, this can be lengthy as a whole afternoon project.

If you’re unsure of yourself or don’t have much time on your hands, consider starting early so that nothing interferes with your plans.

Find someplace else safe where no one will eat it before Christmas day arrives–like maybe under someone’s bed at night when everyone else has gone home…just kidding)

image: pinterest.ca/pin/530439662354716252/

Christmas Fruit Cake – A Southern Tradition

Love or hate it; fruitcake is a Southern tradition, a holiday staple in the South, and a Christmas tradition that has been around for ages.

Every year on December 25th, people exchange fruitcakes as gifts or serve them as desserts at their parties.

In addition to being delicious, this scrumptious treat also has many health benefits, such as being high in potassium and low in calories.

This makes it an excellent choice for anyone looking to lose weight while keeping up with their daily nutrient intake requirements.

image: clickamericana.com/recipes/dessert-recipes/southern-fruit-cake-recipe-1921

If you Love Fruitcakes, Celebrate It

Fruitcake is usually not eaten until Christmas Eve, and some people will even keep their fruitcakes in storage, waiting for that magical day when they finally get to dig into the festive treat.

Some people don’t like fruitcake because they think it tastes weird, but this isn’t always true, as many recipes are available that make them much more appealing.

Some even add alcohol or scented oils to give them an extra kick and make them taste better than ever, so if you want something different, try making your own at home using this method.

image: eatsmarter.com/recipes/fruitcake-covered-in-marzipan-and-chocolate

Life Span

Fruitcake may be kept for a long time if it contains a lot of alcohol. For instance, a family in Tecumseh, Michigan has preserved a fruitcake from 1878 as an heirloom; as of 2019, the baker’s great-great-granddaughter is the cake’s caretaker. One way to increase the shelf life of the cake is to wrap it in linen that has been soaked in alcohol before keeping.

The Antarctic Heritage Trust uncovered a 106-year-old fruitcake in 2017, and it was said to be in “great shape” and “nearly” edible.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Christmas fruitcake is a classic dessert that has been around for generations, and it’s made with much love and care. If you like it or want to try some new recipes, we hope this article helps.

**************************************************

Professional Baker Teaches You How To Make FRUIT CAKE!

*feature image: thefoodellers.com/en/traditional-irish-christmas-cake-recipe

The post All About The Christmas Fruitcake (Love it or Hate it) appeared first on til Christmas.