Serves: 6-8
If the John Lewis ad is playing on the telly then you know that Christmas is on its way. Eggnog is a traditional, lightly spiced sweet drink thickened with eggs. It is most popular in the States although it is believed to have its origins in a spiced ale beverage from Europe. In this recipe the cream and milk are infused with warm, Christmassy spices and the sultanas soaked in rum. I slice up a panettone loaf but you could use brioche.
Ingredients
- 50g sultanas
- 90ml dark rum
- 325ml whole milk
- 350g double cream
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 4 cloves
- ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 4 eggs
- 130g caster sugar
- 180-200g panettone, cut into 1 cm thick slices (how much will depend on the shape of your dish)
- A little unsalted butter, softened plus extra for greasing
Method
- Soak the sultanas in the rum for at least 6 hours. Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan and add the cinnamon sticks, cloves and nutmeg. Bring to the boil slowly then take off the heat and leave to infuse for 1 hour.
- Heat the oven to 180˚c, fan oven 160˚c, mark 4. Butter an ovenproof dish, about 24cm diameter. Whisk the eggs and caster sugar together and mix in the infused cream and milk- you can leave the spices in at this stage. Spread the slices of panettone with a little butter and cover the base of the dish, cutting and moulding the panettone if necessary to plug any gaps. Scatter over the soaked sultanas and any excess rum. Pass the egg and cream mixture through a sieve and pour over the panettone.
- Place the dish in a bain-marie (a roasting tin filled with 2-3 cm boiling water). Bake in the oven for about 35 minutes or until the pudding feels slightly firm in the centre. Leave at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving.
