30 Festively Delicious Eggnog Recipes

December and the Christmas tamale preparation is underway. Sixth year of Rosa's recipe in my hands. I know the recipe the way I know the venison rub and the kanuchi and the bean bread — not as a recipe I follow but as a sequence my hands know, a knowledge that has moved from head to muscle and back to something that is just the thing itself. I do not look at notes anymore. I know how the chile sauce should smell when it is ready. I know the consistency of the masa when it is right. I know how tight to fold the husk by feel.

Danny's birthday is not in December but I have started making him tamales early, before Christmas, because the good days are less reliable now and I want to make sure he gets them while the getting is possible. I brought a dozen to Terry's last Sunday. He ate three that afternoon and asked Terry to put the rest in the refrigerator for later. She did. He ate the rest over the next three days, one or two at a time, slowly, the way he eats everything. By the time I came back the following Sunday the container was empty and he asked if I had more. I said yes, six dozen coming for Christmas. He said good.

Caleb has been going to the stomp dances. This is new — he has not attended a stomp dance since he was in his mid-twenties and the meth had already started pulling at him. He called Monday to tell me. He said he had gone with the man from the Tahlequah NA meeting, the one who had been through the cultural program. He said he had danced. He said it was the right thing in the right way at the right time. I said I was glad. He said: "Come with me sometime." I said: "I will." I have not been to a stomp dance in too long. I am going to go. That is a promise to him and to myself.

The tamales take hours and the kitchen fills with that chile-and-masa smell that I now associate entirely with December and with Rosa and with the particular kind of purpose that comes from making something you know how to make. While the husks steam and the dozen for Danny cool on the rack, there is always something warm to drink — something that belongs to the season the way the tamales do. Eggnog has been that thing in my kitchen for years now, a small festive constant while the bigger work happens beside it. These are the versions I keep coming back to.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for serving
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of kosher salt
3/4 cup bourbon or dark rum (optional)
Whipped cream, for serving (optional)

Instructions

Whisk the yolks and sugar. In a medium saucepan off the heat, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture is pale and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
Heat the milk. In a separate small saucepan over medium heat, warm the milk until it just begins to steam — do not boil. Remove from heat.
Temper the eggs. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg mixture in a thin, steady stream, whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from scrambling.
Cook the custard. Return the saucepan to medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon and reaches 160°F, about 8–10 minutes.
Add the cream and spices. Remove from heat. Stir in the heavy cream, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt until fully combined.
Chill. Pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a large pitcher or bowl. Cover and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.
Finish and serve. Stir in bourbon or rum if using. Pour into glasses over ice or serve cold, topped with whipped cream and a fresh grating of nutmeg.

Nutrition (per serving)

30 Festively Delicious Eggnog Recipes — The Drink That Waits on the Counter While the Tamales Steam