Tom & Jerry
Go old-school with this recipe by beating the batter with a whisk or mixer—or take Audrey Saunders’ recommendations and use a food processor to speed things up.
Batter
6 eggs, separated
1 lb. sugar
1 oz. aged rum
3 Tbsp. vanilla extract
¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground allspice
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
2 dashes Angostura bitters
For each drink
6 oz. milk
1 oz. aged rum
1 oz. Cognac
Make the batter: In a bowl (or a food processor), beat the egg yolks until thin. While still beating, slowly add the sugar, rum, vanilla, spices, and bitters. Separately, beat the egg whites until stiff, and fold into the yolk mixture. Refrigerate the batter in a large container overnight.
To serve, heat the milk in a hot pot or a small saucepan until boiling. While the milk warms, pre-heat the serving cups, and use a whisk to recombine the batter. For each drink, add 2 oz. of batter, 1 oz. each of rum and cognac, then slowly top with boiling milk, whisking the drink until foamy and well-combined. Top with grated nutmeg.
Adapted by Audrey Saunders
Egg Nog French Toast
Great way to utilize that last bit of egg nog in the fridge at the end of the season. Perfect for Xmas morning or even NY Day. Remember, there’s not really egg in your store bought eggnog, or if there was, it was already cooked into custard, so you’ll need to use eggs for your French toast. You’re essentially just swapping out the milk for Egg Nog, then ramping up those eggnog specific flavors like nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger. I even like just a little grind of black pepper in the mix.
Here’s a good one if you done already have a favorite recipe:
Ingredients
1 loaf crusty country-style bread, sliced 1-inch thick
1 1/2 cups eggnog, store-bought or homemade
2 tablespoons dark rum (optional, can omit or use 2 teaspoons rum extract)
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 to 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Whipped cream and maple syrup, for serving
Slice the bread:
Slice up the loaf of bread (if necessary) and set aside to dry out a bit. This can be for 15 minutes, as you prep the batter, or up to 48 hours on your countertop.
Warm the oven:
Once you are ready to make the toast, place a metal wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet. Place it in an oven and turn the oven to 250°F.
Make the batter:
Combine the eggnog, rum (if using) eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk until uniform in color. Dunk two or three pieces of bread into the batter, flipping over to make sure both sides get covered.
Fry the toast:
Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet or griddle on medium heat. Once the butter has melted, move the soaked bread from the bowl (or baking pan) using tongs or your fingers, letting any excess batter drip off the bread. If you left the toast to soak overnight, be careful as the bread will be more fragile.
Fry the toast for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown. Flip the toast with a spatula and continue to cook for an additional 2 or 3 minutes until both sides are equally brown. While the toast is cooking, place more slices in the bowl to soak up the batter.
Keep the toast warm:
Move the finished toast to the wire rack in the oven, and repeat with the remaining bread, soaking first then frying. Serve immediately with maple syrup or whipped cream.
Steve reads this classic Damon Runyan short story that features the Tom & Jerry Eggnog as a central character. Grab a warm mug and enjoy.
