post holiday clearance … Eggnog Panna Cotta

Every year, while home for Christmas at my mother’s, I buy a quart of eggnog. Every year, I forget to drink it. Every year, after I’ve returned home she calls me up and yells at me for not drinking said eggnog. I’m not too sure what happens but essentially, I forget. This year though, I made a pretty good dent in it. I didn’t finish the container but I did make a conscious effort to drink it, starting with a large glass Christmas Eve morning with a healthy shot of bourbon in it. Maybe that’s the secret: booze. I’ll keep that in mind.

For the last several years, I’ve been thinking about what to do with that leftover eggnog post-holiday. I’ve posted about Eggnog Buns, a riff on cinnamon rolls, and an Eggnog Cookie but that’s about it. This past weekend I was invited to a friends for dinner, offered to bring dessert and decided to try something with eggnog. It was festive, holiday appropriate and I just so happened to have some in my fridge. And that’s how Eggnog Panna Cotta was born.

Panna Cotta is an Italian dessert meaning “cooked cream” and rather than eggs, uses just a bit of gelatin to gently set into a creamy custard. I like to use just enough gelatin to set it to a nice soft custard; too much and it’s like jello. No good, no good at all. No one wants a chewy cream jello.  I based this recipe off my favorite buttermilk panna cotta by the wonderful chef Claudia Fleming and it worked really well.

The custard is soft and silky and decidedly eggnog-y. I poured in into little glass yogurt jars to set and topped with a bit of freshly grated nutmeg. As eggnog can be quite rich, I served it with tart raspberries and candied pistachios which happened to look very festive as well. And since I like to pair creamy with crunchy, I added a few shortbread cookies to the plate as well. It was a lovely dessert for the end of a holiday meal.

Most importantly, it finished up the eggnog that was in my fridge. Success!

STRESS THERAPY BAKING FACTOR: OUT WITH THE OLD. Well, not so much the old as the leftover. While this one does in fact find a home for a leftover ingredient, it is well worth buying eggnog to make. But you better hurry; I’m not sure how long the stores will continue to carry it. Or even better – I bet eggnog is on clearance with now! Not much of a market for the stuff come January 2^nd. So run out now and grab a quart and make this for your New Year’s celebrations!

ten years ago: Adventures in India, Sunchoke Soup
nine years ago: Bacon Cheddar Gougeres
eight years ago: Southern Cheese Straws, Ginger Simple Syrup
seven years ago: Gingerbread with Bourbon Sauce
six years ago: Pumpkin Spice Granola, Pumpkin Roulade, Peppermint Cookie Platter
five years ago: Cider Apple Pie, From Scratch Rum Cake
four years ago: Eggnog Buttons, Rumaki (chicken livers and water chestnuts wrapped in bacon)
three years ago: Post Christmas Eggnog Buns, My Party Cheeseball
two years ago: Bourbon Glazed Fruitcake Buttons
last year: Classic Molasses Cookies

Need some appetizer ideas for a New Years Eve/Day shingdig? Look no further; the Bacon Cheddar Gougeres, Cheeseball, Rumaki and Cheese Straws linked above are quite nice or consider any of My 12 Days of Crackers recipes (all linked in the final post here) or really any of these would be great:

Savory Salami and Cheese Bread, Bacon Wrapped Dates, Cheese Boeregs (savory turnovers), Rosemary Shortbread, Cotija Cumin Shortbread, Chinese Sticky Ribs, Pull Apart Pigs In A Blanket Ring, Hatch Chile Queso Dip, French Onion Stuffed Mushrooms, Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms, Antipasto Squares, Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip, Sweet & Spicy Coconut Cashew Mix, Salmon Rillettes, Beer Braised Onion & Bacon Tart, Pão de Queijo (easy Brazilian cheese puffs), Red Curry Firecracker Shrimp with Sweet Chile Dipping Sauce, Spicy Seeded Parmesan Straws, Parmesan Pea Dip, Port Wine and Cheddar Cheese Log, Baked Brie with Savory Fig Jam, Buckwheat Blini with Smoked Salmon, Pimento Cheese, Queso Fundito, Baked Cheddar Olives, Puff Pastry Asparagus Spears

EGGNOG PANNA COTTA
Serves 6-8, depending on your container and how much you fill

1 ½ teaspoons unflavored powdered gelatin
1 Tablespoon cold water
1 ¼ cups heavy cream
¼ cup sugar
1 ¾ cups eggnog, full fat
2 teaspoons bourbon, brandy or dark rum
freshly grated nutmeg

1. Place gelatin in a small bowl and add the cold water, stirring to make sure all the gelatin is moistened. Let sit for 5 minutes to soften (aka “bloom”.)
2. Meanwhile, in a saucepan over medium-high, warm the cream with the sugar, stirring until the sugar is dissolves.
3. Add the bloomed gelatin and stir until dissolved.
4. Off the heat, add the eggnog and brandy and strain into a measuring cup with a pour spout.
5. Pour the mixture into 6 6oz ramekins or whatever vessel you have.
6. Top each cup with a little freshly grated nutmeg and chill until firm, about 3 hours.
7. If you like, serve with fresh raspberries, candied pistachios, shortbread cookies