Egg nog is really good. Home-made egg nog is a different thing altogether.
This recipe makes about a gallon.
Before you begin, partially fill your sink (or similar) with cold water.
Put egg yolks in blender, run at slow speed. Slowly add a couple coups of milk. Add contents to large pot (rinse out the blender with a little more milk to get as much egg as possible).
Mix in about 1/2 gal milk, sugar, cream, salt, and nutmeg.
Starting at med-hi and moving to medium, bring the mixture up to temperature--for Dad's thermometer and altitude this turns out to be between 160 and 170 degrees. Stir constantly, scraping the bottom of the pot (flat wire whisk works well for this). The mixture should thicken noticeably when the eggs are cooked.
Be careful to not overcook the eggs. Have a sink with cold water prepared. As soon as the eggs are cooked, move the pot to the cold water bath to quickly bring the mixture down to a workable temperature.
Remove from the cold water and add rum flavoring and vanilla. You can optionally add some store bought egg nog (Dad prefers Meadow Gold brand)
Add additional milk, sugar and seasonings to taste. Depending on your preferences, you may wish to heat the egg nog some (I like it best rather hot).
16 servings
1 cup