Ever since we went dairy free I really missed eggnog. Eggnog was a huge part of our Christmas traditions growing up, and I wanted it again. Several brands make dairy free and even vegan nogs, but they seem to all contain carrageenan and they also all taste only kinda sorta like eggnog. They are fine in place of creamer in a latte, but its not eggnog.

So I decided to make some eggnog from scratch.

I started by adapting the Alton Brown recipe which is fast and easy as it is a raw eggnog. Its fine, but not thick or decadent. It does not have that cooked egg custard flavor that I associate with eggnog. It gets some body from whipped egg whites but it is just not the stuff I grew up drinking.

Then I tried adapting a cooked eggnog from Oprah magazine. The nog did NOT cover the back of the spoon after five minutes and eventually it turned gritty and lumpy. But the taste was good so I tried again.

This time it was perfect. Straight out of my childhood and tasting like eggnog and not like coconut.

Now, this recipe assumes you are going to mix it with booze. Its about 2 parts nog to one part alcohol and you have a winner. If you are making a version for the kids, use 2 parts eggnog to 1 part milk. I used almond milk. It needs to be mixed with something. As written this recipe is the consistency of melted ice cream when cold and is borderline undrinkable.

Ingredients
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 13.5 oz cans coconut milk (culinary milk in cans or shelf stable septic packaging)
1 13.5 oz can filled with unsweetened quinoa milk (unsweetened almond milk also works. look for brands without carrageenan, avoid rice milk if at all possible as it is too runny and too sweet)
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. dark rum
1 tsp ground nutmeg

Equipment
Heat resistant bowl large enough to hold all ingredients (glass or ceramic is ideal)
Saucepan or pot with softened corners (you want the whisk to be able to get into all corners of the pan) large enough to comfortably hold all ingredients
Handheld wire whisk
measuring spoons
1/2 cup measure for sugar
Candy thermometer (not totally critical but incredibly helpful in avoiding overcooking)

Instructions
In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks with sugar. Add rum and vanilla and whisk then set aside. The sugar will keep dissolving while you ready the creamy part of the recipe.
Open cans of coconut milk (note, not coconut cream and not coconut milk beverage) and pour into saucepan. Fill one can with quinoa milk and add that as well. Add nutmeg to the pan.
Bring ingredients in pan to a simmer whisking occasionally. Don’t worry too much, unlike actual milk no skin will form if you don’t whisk constantly, you just want to avoid burning the milk.
Whisk hot liquid into egg yolks. Whisk until smooth and combined.
Return mixture to pan.
Cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly with whisk, until mixture registers 175° on a candy thermometer. The original recipe said this would take five minutes. With all my ingredient swaps it took about 20 minutes.
If you don’t have a candy thermometer, stop when the mixture thickens and makes an opaque or mostly opaque coating on the back of a spoon. Err on the side of removing it too soon.
Remove from heat and keep whisking for another few minutes.
Refrigerate until cold.
Mix with milk, brandy, whiskey or rum before serving
Makes about 32 oz
Read the original recipe here at
http://www.oprah.com/food/Classic-Eggnog-Recipe#ixzz2oGgVC2E9