Flickr image by Isaac Wedin / Flickr.com / Creative Commons
Bellevue Eggnog Recipe
1 dozen eggs
12 tablespoons of granulated sugar
1 pint of cognac
1/2 pint full-bodied rum
1 pint milk
1/2 pint rich cream
1 grated nutmeg
Start with one dozen eggs. Separate them. Place the whites aside for the time being. Beat yolks well. While still beating, gradually add 12 tablespoons of granulated sugar and retain a tempo until sugar is totally dissolved. Pour slowly in 1 pint of cognac while still stirring. Follow on using 1/2 pint (on the slim side) full-bodied rum. The finished mixture must not taste of rum-in-the-nude. Put differently, the rum should not dominate the mixture. When it is really pungent, cut down the rum content and step-up the cognac. In any event, the caliber of the cognac will influence the quality of the brew. You better have your cognac good! Pouring the hard drink into the yolks results in cooking them more fondly than any stove can. Then get 1 pint milk and 1/2 pint rich cream. (Cream could be whipped, but this might become a bit rich, so to other tastes, plain cream is preferred.) Mix in milk and cream. Clean your egg-beating gear and start with the whites until they would stand without hitching. Fold the whites into the over-all concoction. Next, stir in 1 grated nutmeg. When the result is too sweet to match your taste, extra brandy could now be added until it fits. This will serve 10 to 12 individuals. For open house intents, you will require double, triple, or quadruple this quantity. For convenience's sake, some folks prepare this eggnog a day prior to the party and put it in the refrigerator until required. Parked inside—or just on the pantry window sill—it will store perfectly for many days when you use air-tight glass jars to keep it.