Homemade Eggnog

No Bah Humbug! I just watched A Christmas Carol, the 1938 version. It inspired me to help you serve up some homemade eggnog for everyone. I know- eggnog can be found this time of year in the dairy case of most grocery markets. But, here's a good way to put your own mark on this holiday season with a nice do-it-yourself version.

Create your own spin on the nog; how about a wee bit of B & B or Grand Marnier, even sans the alcohol, or add a squirt of chocolate syrup for the kids. It’s just another way to celebrate the holiday. Oh, and don’t forget the chestnuts roasting on an open fire. OK, open fire not required.

mark hayes | istock

Eggnog 

by Chef George Hirsch

Makes 4 Servings

6 egg yolks, save the whites *see below
2 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup bourbon, or rum
1/4 brandy
1/2 cup pure cane sugar, or Turbinado
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon fresh grated orange rind

Using a mixer with a whip attachment on medium speed; whip the egg yolks until light in color, about 4-5 minutes. Add sugar and mix until completely dissolved. Set aside.

In double boiler, combine the milk, heavy cream, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange rind and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and combine, while tempering the hot milk-cream mixture into the egg-sugar mixture.

Return all ingredients to double boiler and heat constantly stirring with a spatula until the mixture reaches 160 degrees (well below simmer), eggnog begins to resemble custard.

Remove from the heat, stir in the bourbon, and brandy. Pour into a bowl, cool and refrigerate for at least two-four hours. Best if refrigerated overnight.

Serve in cups with a shaved chocolate, or unsweetened cocoa powder dusted on top.

Optional Toppings: with a dollop of *meringue (made from all the left over egg whites), or ice cream, or whipped cream.

Handmade Ravioli

This is a special dish I like to prepare around the holidays. Preparing handmade ravioli requires extra time and attention, but it's so worth all the effort. I have included a step-by-step for the dough and recipe for the filling. Maybe this week you can make an extra special dish for visiting relatives. Have everyone pitch in- the more cooking, the merrier. 

Handmade Ravioli Recipe, Filling and ravioli dough

Coupole

Serving cheese for outdoor entertaining may bring to mind several favorite options, but serving the right cheese does make a difference this time of year. You don’t want to feel weighed down by nibbling on too heavy a cheese in warm weather, or have a cheese that appears to be melting on your serving tray right before your eyes.

The solution is as easy as taking cheese out of its package. And, in this case, I’m offering a suggestion for serving an artesian handcrafted and slightly aged goat cheese. A distinct goat cheese, called Coupole. It is easily cut into wedges, making it an ideal way to serve in warmer and more humid weather.  

The Coupole is a fresh, young goat's milk cheese shaped like a small dome and lightly dusted with vegetable ash. It hails from the ambitious new Loire-Valley-style production facility at Vermont Butter and Cheese Creamery which has been pioneering innovative dairy products for over 25 years. Their fresh chèvres, spreads, butters and fermented creams can be found in chef's kitchens across the country. As the Coupole ages, a slightly wrinkled skin develops, and the paste softens. This creamy, delightful goat's milk cheese is a wonderful addition to America's dairy products. One piece weighs approximately 8 ounces.

Goat cheese is an ideal lead-in to most summer foods which are on the lighter side and also pairs well served along side grilled fruit, grilled vegetables and grilled fish.   

Serve with quartered fresh figs and spiced nuts, or drizzled with honey for dessert. You may also go Genoa style by topping it with a freshly made pesto. If you really want to gild the lily, top with pesto & honey; a serving suggestion that was served to me from the master himself, Val Manning of Manning’s Food Emporium in Ballylickey, West Cork, Ireland.

Serve with summer beverages; lagers to wines such as sauvignon blanc, chenin blanc, or rose.

 image credit: Vermont Creamery

The World's Gone Nuts

Origin, Italy. Main ingredient, hazelnut; hence the nickname hazelnut cream and not chocolate cream. You may be fooled thinking this tastes like more like chocolate, but there is actually less than 10 percent cocoa in the recipe. 

Nutella spread in its earliest form, was created in the 1940s by Mr. Pietro Ferrero, a pastry maker and founder of the Ferrero Group; today also the makers of the popular Tic-Tac mints. At the time, there was very little chocolate because cocoa was in short supply due to World War II rationing. Mr. Ferrero used hazelnuts, which are plentiful in the Piedmont region of Italy, to extend the chocolate supply. 

A fun little fact: Initially, the most popular glass containers were quite small, the size of a standard water glass; so they could be used as normal table glasses once the product had been consumed. Gotta love it, the Italians are so resourceful.

Nutella is a treat for people of all ages with serious fans around the globe. I like mine simply on a cornetti or croissant. How about you? For some inspiring Nutella recipe ideas. 

BTW-FEB 5th is World Nutella Day.

images; Ferrero Group, flickr/dennisandluba

Return to Summer

With record snow this weekend in most of the Atlantic East coast and temperatures pushing the envelope for the whitest, coldest winter in decades, I began my day dreaming of summer 2010 by my East End beaches. 

When I fell into my mid-summer day dream, I pictured myself stopping at Pikes Farm Stand in Sagaponack to pick up their prize vine ripened tomatoes and candy-like white corn on the cob. To serve the tomatoes, I simply slice and drizzle olive oil upon a crusty ciabatta bread topped with freshly ground pepper and a gently torn fresh basil leaf, from my garden. I munch on this snack paired with a crisp cool glass of sauviginon blanc while waiting for my corn to grill to perfection. The corn was picked just one hour before cooking; so with corn that fresh, I like it au natural - no or butter needed.

Rude awakening. It's the beginning of February. But I have something up my sleeve that's very fitting and will put a summer smile on your face and mine. Here's the how-to for cooking up a good pot of Spicy Corn Chowder.

image, Moza