The lovely people of Book World sent me a copy of Maggie’s Christmas to have a little look at. They are also offering one lucky Belly Rumbles reader a $100 book bundle. Ho Ho Ho, it really must be Christmas.
I am a big fan of Maggie Beer, have been for years. I love her approach to food and produce in general, and find that her recipes are easy to follow, generally easy to make and for me, have a no fail rate.
Her latest cookbook, Maggie’s Christmas, is pure Maggie. Filled with personal stories about the recipes, Christmas living in the Barossa, holiday and New Year recipes.
Many of the recipes in the cookbook caught my eye. Two I will be making myself for our Christmas day family lunch; White Gazpacho with Blue Swimmer Crab & Walnut Flatbread.
The gazpacho is packed full of flavor with the use of lemon juice, verjuice and sultanas. Served chilled, I thought that they would make a great addition to my spicy crab shots I made for Christmas last year. The Walnut Flat Bread seems very easy to make and will accompany an simple cheese plate, lifting it into something quite special.
Obviously I wanted to make a recipe to share with you, I chose simple eggnog. I’ve never made eggnog before, even though it has been something on the ‘to make’ list (longer than Santa’s nice list) for many years. You can serve Maggie’s recipe hot or cold. Due to the warm Sydney climate at present, I chose ice cold.
Be warned this eggnog is not for kids. The ⅓c of brandy in this recipe packs a punch. A tasty tasty brandy punch! Obviously you can leave it out, but really would you want to?
The eggnog is rich and creamy and I suggest serving it over ice. This is the perfect tipple to make wrapping the kid’s presents on Christmas Eve that slightly more enjoyable. Then again dear reader, you are probably more organized than I am.
Maggie Beer's Eggnog Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 free range egg yolks
- 125 grams caster sugar
- 500 ml milk
- Ice cubes
- 500 ml chilled double cream
- 80 ml brandy
- Grated or ground nutmeg to taste
Instructions
- Whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar together in a bowl until pale and thick. Warm the milk in a saucepan over low heat until just hot, then slowly whisk into the egg yolk mixture in a slow, steady stream, whisking continuously.5
- Pour the egg yolk mixture into the pan. Return the pan to a very low heat and cook stirring continuously with a wooden spoon, for 3 minutes or until the mixture coast the back of the spoon. Do not let it simmer or it may curdle. (Be careful not to overcook the egg or it will scramble; have a bowl of ice alongside the stove in case you need to quickly cool the mixture down.) Immediately pour the eggnog through a coarse-mesh strainer into a heatproof bowl. Stir in the cream, and then stir in the brandy. Pour into a serving jug and serve warm or chilled. Add nutmeg to taste.
Nutrition
Maggie's Christmas Competition is Now Closed: As mentioned Book World are giving one lucky Belly Rumble’s reader the chance to win a $100 book bundle which will include Maggie’s Christmas.
Entries are open to Australian residents only, you can enter as many times as you like. Entries close 11.59pm Friday 20th December. Good luck!
Sara xxx
Sue R
Darn I missed out 🙁 I had close to 200 emails to get though! Merry Christmas anyhow.
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Happy New Year lovely 🙂 Damn really wished I saw this post and maybe I would've had the chance to win the voucher hehe I'm a fan of Maggie Beer too! The eggnog looks and sounds awesome will need to save it and use it for Xmas this year! OMG it really is 2014 🙂