Eggnog Ice Cream

Eggnog ice cream was coming. It was just a matter of time. Since I finally got an ice cream maker last spring, I've been making ice cream year-round, but trying to be "seasonal" about it. And winter is eggnog season, so there you go.

Be warned, this ice cream is delectable and has the most perfect texture of any ice cream I've ever had, homemade or store-bought (UK: shop bought); it could be addictive! A guest I served it to called it "the best ice cream I've ever had in my life" and wanted to pay me to make a gallon of it for him!

This is the first ice cream recipe I've developed with a custard base, and I'm going to be developing other flavors in the coming months. It will be fun to conduct taste tests comparing cooked and uncooked versions of the same flavor. So stay tuned!

Eggnog Ice Cream

(Makes about 5 cups)

3 large egg yolks
2/3 cup (4.67 ounces/132 grams) sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (6 fluid ounces/177 ml) hot milk (I use organic 2%)
3/4 cup (6 fluid ounces/177 ml) cold milk
2 tablespoons (1 fluid ounce/30 ml) brandy or rum, optional
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 1/2 cups (12 fluid ounces/355 ml) heavy whipping cream

1 In bottom pan of double boiler, heat an inch of water to a gentle simmer. In top pan of double boiler, whisk together egg yolks, sugar and salt until well blended.

2 Gradually whisk in hot milk and cook over hot but not boiling water, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and registers between 160 and 170 degrees* (but do not boil). Just pull a tall stool up to the stove like I do 'cause it's gonna take a while, perhaps 10 minutes.

*Here's where my new Thermapen One Instant Read Thermometer really comes in handy. My old non-digital thermometer was so hard to read, I had to stick my head in the pan to see it; and it was so slow, if I wasn't really careful the custard would curdle (scrambled eggs!) while I was trying to get a reading!

3 Stir in cold milk. Strain custard into a medium bowl (I use a 2-quart glass measure to make pouring into the machine easier); whisk in brandy or rum, vanilla, nutmeg and cream. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.

4 Assemble the Cuisinart ICE-21 Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream-Sorbert Maker; turn it on. While it is running, pour the chilled mixture through the spout. Let mix until thickened, about 20 minutes. Or follow the directions for whichever brand ice cream maker you have. If you have a KitchenAid, you can use their KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment.

5 Transfer the soft ice cream to a freezer-safe airtight container, and place in freezer for at least 4 hours. Even after days in the freezer, this ice cream was very scoopable and did not need to be left out for 15 minutes before serving.

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees at no cost to you by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support. 

Jean

If you liked this post, please Pin it and share it!