25 Days of Christmas Recipes, Christmas Day: Gingerbread Eggnog and Mulled Cider

Day 25. It’s here. It’s finally here. It’s my cousin’s birthday.

Oh, and it’s also Christmas Day. Happy Christmas to all who celebrate. Did you get everything you wanted? Did you eat until your stomach felt like it was about to burst? Did you watch the Vicar of Dibley Christmas Special ‘The Christmas Lunch Incident’ again for the millionth time and felt glad you weren’t in her situation? (For all those who haven’t, look it up, it’s one of the funniest episodes of British TV). However your day was I’m sure you’d love a drink to celebrate. I give to you two recipes for festive flavoured alcoholic beverages (the Eggnog can also be non-alcoholic– I suppose I should also specify here to people from the USA that when I say Cider I mean the alcoholic kind– in Europe that’s the only type of cider we have).

I’d never had Eggnog until last year. I’d heard about it many times, again mostly on American films and TV specials. Imagine my surprise when I looked up the recipes and it was essentially just custard/creme anglaise in a glass (sometimes with added alcohol). I’d never even considered drinking cold custard from a glass– and if I’m going to be honest I still wouldn’t choose to. However, I decided to plough on and create an Eggnog with the flavours of home– turning again to Ginger cake as a reference I created a liquid Ginger cake. Does it taste like a nice Eggnog? Yes. Would I choose to drink it myself? No. Did the other people I had test it like it a lot? Yes.

As for the mulled cider (alcoholic) it was developed as a way to celebrate the drink of the place I live. Mulled wine is popular around Europe, including in France, but Brittany (where I live) is famous for it’s Cider and it’s top quality, made in vast quantities and is relatively affordable to purchase in large quantities (a lot of people even make it themselves as even we own an orchard with cider apple trees, like many other people around here). So, I decided to celebrate cider properly and create a mulled version. Apples and spices, what’s not to love?

Happy Christmas Everybody (and Happy New Year Soon to everybody who celebrates New Year on 1st January).

Gingerbread Eggnog

Ingredients:

• 4 Egg Yolks
• 130g Brown Sugar
• 50g Caster Sugar
• 500ml Full-Fat Milk
• 1tsp Vanilla Extract
• 2tsp Black Treacle
• 1 ½ tbsp Powdered Ginger
• 300ml Double Cream
• OPTIONAL 40ml Rum, Brandy or other favourite spirit/liqueur (we added a couple of splashes of Poire William liqueur)

Method:

1. Put your milk and vanilla extract into a pan. Place on a medium heat and allow to get hot, but not boiling.
2. In a large bowl beat your egg yolks, two sugars and treacle together with a whisk until paler in colour and fluffy.
3. Slowly pour over your hot milk, continually whisking. Pour back into the pan and put back over a low/medium heat.
4. Alternate between whisking and stirring with a wooden spoon. Continue to cook your custard until the mixture coats the back of the spoon. Remove from the heat and put through a sieve into a bowl and then add your ginger. Stir again. Set aside to cool completely (to hurry this up you can put your pan of custard in a bowl of ice).
5. When cool add your cream and your alcohol (if using). Pour into your glasses or mugs, sprinkle over some more ginger or nutmeg and enjoy.

Mulled Cider

Ingredients:

• 500ml Sweet Cider (or Strong, if you prefer)
• 2tbsps Honey
• ½ a Whole Lemon
• Cinnamon Stick
• 1tsp Coriander Seeds
• 2 Dried Juniper Berries
• 1 Clove

Method:

1. Put all ingredients in a small pan and infuse over low heat for 30 minutes.
2. Strain in a sieve over a jug.
3. Pour into mugs, serve and enjoy.