Creamy Vanilla Eggnog – The Paleo Version

We all love traditions, don’t we? Sometimes traditional things need some tweaking to update them to our modern beliefs. Here is a traditional holiday beverage – Eggnog with a little twist. This recipe is accustomed to people who are following paleo diet and paleo rules. Dairy and refined sugar free, yay!

Oh, well.. the alcohol.. Alcohol is optional, it is delicious without it, too!

For 3 servings, you need:

• 3 egg yolks
• 1 cup of almond milk
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup of honey
• 1 tsp of Summer Day Naturals’ Vanilla Bean Powder
• 1 tsp of nutmeg
• 3 egg whites (optional)
• 100 ml of bourbon or other liquor (optional)

Instructions:

1. Whisk the egg yolks, honey, vanilla and nutmeg together.
2. Heat up almond milk and cream together until it just simmers. Add the heated mixture to whisked egg yolks in a steady stream, whisking all the while*.
3. Pour the mixture into a saucepan, and cook over low fire. Stir continuously until the mixture becomes thick. When that happens, take it off the heat and continue to stir until it slightly cools.
4. If using egg whites: whisk the egg whites until fluffy. When the cooked eggnog is cool, fold in your whisked egg whites. Pour into serving cups and enjoy!
5. Optional: add alcohol before serving.

* This process is called tempering the egg yolks, which is bringing up the temperature of the egg yolks gradually without cooking them. If we dump all of the hot mixture into the yolks, they would turn into scrambled eggs. Not very yummy in this context.

** This recipe is cooked eggnog, so it’s pretty much safe to consume. However once you add the egg whites, you’re having this eggnog at your own risk.

• Always use pasteurized eggs for safety.
• In case you do not want to cook the eggs –  simply place all the ingredients of this recipe in a blender (except for the alcohol) and blend for 2-3 minutes until the mixture thickens. Add the alcohol, and chill in the fridge before serving.