Eggnog Ice Cream

Sweet, creamy, and seasonal, homemade eggnog does double duty as a Christmas cocktail and holiday ice cream base in this simple eggnog ice cream recipe.

The holidays are a treacherous time, my friends. People are always just showing up, unexpected and uninvited, wanting to be fed or watered! How can you possibly prepare for this onslaught?

Make eggnog, of course. Keep plenty of the cooked custard base (without the egg white foam worked into it) in the fridge, and you can surprise your various guests with delicious eggnog ice cream. That’s right, it’s a drink, it’s an ice cream base — it’s both.

Here's how to make eggnog ice cream.

This recipe first appeared in Season 9 of Good Eats.

ACTIVE TIME: 15

TOTAL TIME: 6

Yield: quart

Software

4 large egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3 fluid ounces bourbon

Specialized Hardware

Ice cream maker
Digital instant-read thermometer

Procedure

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a large mixing bowl until the yolks lighten in color and the sugar is completely dissolved. Set aside.
Combine the milk, cream, and nutmeg in a medium saucepan over high heat and bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and gradually stir the hot mixture into the egg yolk and sugar mixture. Return everything to the pan and cook until the mixture reaches 160°F on a digital instant-read thermometer.
Remove from the heat, stir in the bourbon, pour into a medium mixing bowl, and refrigerate. Chill the mixture until it reaches a temperature of 40°F, 4 to 6 hours.
Once it's chilled, process the mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacture's instructions. Serve as is for soft-serve or freeze in an airtight container for 2 to 4 hours for traditional ice cream.