Holidays are the perfect time for indulging in rich desserts, and Eggnog Ice Cream is one of them. Now I’m not the biggest fan of eggnog, I can take it or leave it. However, when transformed into eggnog ice cream, it’s a whole new story. It’s still creamy and full of flavor, but the frozen texture takes it to the next level. To make the process easier, I buy the eggnog. Making everything from scratch is usually my style, but as I said, eggnog isn’t my favorite; plus, it’s already the perfect base for ice cream. It has the milk, cream, sugar, and egg yolks already, so the custard is halfway done.
Let’s get the eggnog into a saucepan and doctor it up a bit. Over medium-low heat, add in milk and brown sugar, whisking until all is dissolved. The milk helps lighten up the eggnog as it churns, and the brown sugar adds a bit of depth to the flavor.
Adding Flavor To Your Eggnog
As for the spices, I keep them traditional to what compliments eggnog. Add in fresh nutmeg, all-spice, salt, vanilla extract. I also add orange zest. I know it sounds a little strange, but the zest brightens up the cream and pairs well with the fresh nutmeg.
Heat the custard until it’s thick enough to at least coat the back of the spoon. Once you have reached your desired thickness, strain the custard through a mesh shive. Straining helps collect any large particles that may have cooked unevenly. It also will collect the fresh grated nutmeg and orange zest, so if you want to see those little flakes of color throughout your ice cream, add some back after you strain.
Let the custard reach room temperature by transferring it to a glass bowl. To help it along, take a larger bowl filled halfway with water and ice and then place the ice cream inside. Stir the mixture every once in a while to let heat escape, and it will cool in no time.
Chill Out The Ice Cream
Place plastic wrap on the surface so a skin doesn’t form while in the refrigerator. Let the custard cool and thicken for a couple of hours. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, pour the custard into a 9×13 inch glass dish and place it in the freezer. After about an hour, take out the ice cream and give a good stir. Place back into the freezer and repeat every hour until you have your desired texture.
I pour my mixture into the ice cream attachment I have for my Kitchen Aid.
I let the eggnog ice cream churn for about 30 minutes
Then transfer to a container to store in the freezer.
After about 2 hours, the eggnog ice cream has set and is ready for enjoying.
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