Chef notes
No eggs needed in this flavorful rendition of a Christmas classic, which requires only a few everyday ingredients. First, I infuse the drink with cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and cloves by steeping a few chai tea bags in steamed milk. Next, I thicken and sweeten it up by blending in a simple slurry of maple syrup and vanilla. Finally, I stash it in the fridge to chill overnight. You can choose to serve this virgin or spiked with rum, whiskey or bourbon — drinker's choice. Then, garnish each glass with a squirt of whipped cream, a cinnamon stick and a dash of nutmeg, and sip away.
Ingredients
- 4 cups 1% or 2% low-fat milk
- 3 chai tea bags, strings, and tags removed
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 2½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg, plus more to garnish
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Rum, whiskey or bourbon (optional)
- Whipped topping, for garnish (optional)
Preparation
1.Heat the milk and tea bags over medium-low heat until just steaming with gentle bubbles around the edges (do not boil it or the milk will taste burnt). Remove from heat and allow the tea bags to steep for 10 minutes. Discard tea bags.
2.Set aside 1/4 cup of the chai milk in a small bowl and let it slightly cool. Add the cornstarch and mix until completely dissolved.
3.Return the pan of chai milk to medium-low heat. Whisk in the cornstarch slurry, maple syrup, nutmeg and salt. Cook eggnog for about 3-4 minutes or until it starts to steam and thicken slightly (again, do not let it boil). Turn off the heat and whisk in vanilla extract. Pour into a heatproof container and place in the fridge to chill for at least 5 hours or overnight. The eggnog will become slightly thicker as it chills and develop a thin layer across the top; simply stir the thin layer into the mixture before serving.
4.Spike each glass with an optional ounce of rum, whiskey or bourbon. Then top with a generous squirt of whipped topping and a dash of nutmeg, if desired.
