Festive Eggnog

12 egg yolks

5 cloves, whole

4 cups milk

4 cups cream

3 cups light Rum

1¾ cups Sugar

2½ teaspoons vanilla essence or extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground

3/4 teaspoon nutmeg, ground

In a saucepan over low heat, blend the milk, cinnamon, cloves and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir constantly while mixture heats, but do not let it boil. Remove from heat before it reaches a boiling point. Mix together the sugar and egg yolks in a bowl. Whisk until the mixture is light and fluffy. Slowly add the milk mixture to the eggs while continuing to whisk. Transfer the mixture back to the saucepan over medium heat while stirring constantly. Still do not let the mixture boil. Keep stirring until you reach the consistency of light custard. Now strain the mixture into a storage vessel so as to remove the cloves.

Refrigerate for 1½ hours. When chilled, gently stir in the cream, rum, remaining vanilla and ground nutmeg. Refrigerate the entire mixture overnight. Stir and serve in individual cups with a cinnamon stick and nutmeg sprinkle as garnish.

Yields: 8 servings.

Recipe provided by Rick Souders