Avoid chemicals and fake flavorings in store bought eggnog this season — make home made eggnog with real food ingredients

Valeria, author of the blog Beets ‘n Bones, put together this whole food eggnog recipe for her family.  After reading the labels of prepared eggnog available in stores, which contain industrial fillers and emulsifiers such as carageenan, as well as food coloring and high fructose corn syrup, Valeria did some research and found traditional recipes for this rich wintertime treat. She gives the following advice, as well as a lot of notes on how to make this recipe on her blog:

I would only recommend this recipe if you are able to get local farmed eggs from a source you can trust. Raw eggs have amazing health benefits and using them in an eggnog is an easy way to get your kids to eat them. The recipes from 150 years ago recommended using milk, as opposed to cream, because whole milk, especially from Jersey cows (the brown ones), naturally has a ton of cream in it. The milk I get from Amish Healthy Foods sometimes is as much as one third cream. I still add extra cream because I love it.

We couldn’t agree with Valeria more.  In her original blog post, she talks a lot about where she buys her eggs and dairy, and how she chooses who to buy from.  It’s worth the extra cost and effort to seek out the highest quality, highest welfare eggs and dairy.

Traditional eggnog recipe made with real whole food ingredients

Ingredients

• 6 egg yolks from pastured chickens
• ¼ cup raw cane sugar, or maple syrup
• A pinch of fine sea salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla syrup
• 1.5 cup raw cream
• ½ cup raw milk
• 2 tablespoons rum or brandy (optional)
• Freshly grated nutmeg to taste

Method

1. Whisk egg yolks with a stand mixer until they change color to pale yellow, 10 minutes or so.
2. Add sugar, salt and vanilla, and whisk until sugar is incorporated.
3. Add cream, milk, rum and nutmeg and whisk until everything is smooth and creamy.
4. Sprinkle more nutmeg on top right before serving.

read Valeria’s full original recipe here

Learn more

Check out Valeria’s blog, dedicated to bringing back whole food traditional recipes and methods: Beets ‘n Bones.

Read the Ethical Foods buying guides for advice on choosing humane, healthy eggs and dairy.

Check out Nina Planck’s book on traditional foods:Real Food: What to Eat and Why