Eggnog

What a perfect season for eggnog! Whether you make it for your Christmas party, or a romantic evening next to the fireplace. Or just because you simply want to treat yourself to something tasty and delicious, or even for a family get-together; of course, don't add the rum or any alcohol if kids are going to taste it.

It is a very easy recipe to make and it will delight adults and children during this holiday season.

To make about 4 cups of eggnog, you will need:

• 4 eggs
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 1 pint of milk
• 1 cup of heavy cream
• 9 ounces of spiced rum*
• 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon of sugar

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Resting time: A few hours in the fridge until serving


Start by separating the egg whites from the egg yolks and put them in two separate bowls.

Grate the nutmeg and keep aside.

In a bowl, mix the milk and the heavy cream.

In a standing mixer, or with a hand-mixer, whisk the egg yolks until they get lighter in color.

Once it's done, gradually add the 1/3 cup of sugar and continue to whisk until the two ingredients are combined.

While continuing to whisk on a slow setting, add the milk/cream mixture, the rum*, and the nutmeg to the mix.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. Then add the tablespoon of sugar and continue to whisk until the egg whites form stiff peaks.

Gently whisk the egg-yolk mixture to the egg-white mixture.

You've just made eggnog!

Keep the eggnog in a sealed container in the fridge until serving. Simply re-froth before serving.

Enjoy!

*Note: You can make this recipe alcohol-free by not adding the rum. The recipe steps stay the same; simply remove the rum from the ingredients.

Tip: Keep the leftovers of the eggnog in a sealed container in the fridge. Simply re-froth before serving.

As with all the other recipes we put on this site, this is meant to be easy to follow. We are hobby chefs who love to cook, and we are always up for learning new techniques. If you know of anything in this recipe which can be done a different way, whether for increased ease of preparation or better taste, please add a comment below!

Whipped up by Charline Leblond

Almond and Chocolate Truffles

What a perfect treat to enjoy after your dinner!
These delicious bite-sized almond and chocolate truffles can be served as a snack, or after dinner with some coffee or tea, or even a glass of sweet wine, such as Porto. It would also be a hit for your Christmas dinner.

The following quantities are for about 72 truffles (about 1.5 centimeter diameter), so feel free to adjust them if you are baking for more or fewer people.

You will need:

• 185 grams of ladyfingers biscuits
• 185 grams of almond powder
• 110 grams of sugar
• 3 tablespoon of chocolate powder or shredded chocolate
• 5 tablespoons of milk
• 2 tablespoons of brown spiced rum
• 25 grams of bitter dark chocolate powder

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Resting time: At least 2 hours in the fridge (you can leave them longer if you want to prepare them beforehand)

Start by crushing the ladyfingers biscuits.

You can do so in a bowl.

Or in a plastic sealed bag with a rolling pin.

Or directly in a bowl with a rolling pin.

You should obtain a fine powder as shown below.

Add the almond powder, the sugar, and the 3 tablespoons of chocolate powder to the crushed ladyfingers, and mix.

Warm up the milk.

Make a well in your dry mix, and add the warmed milk and the rum to the preparation.

Then, mix until you obtain a moist, compact batter.

Spread your bitter dark chocolate on a plate.

Take a chunk of the batter and roll it between your palms to form a small bite-sized ball. Repeat the process with all of the batter.

Then, roll the small balls onto the bitter dark chocolate powder. Shake them to get rid of the chocolate powder excess.

Place them on a sheet of parchment paper on a tray, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Enjoy!

Note: You can keep these individual bite-sized almond and chocolate truffles for a few days as long as they are in a properly sealed container.

As with all the other recipes we put on this site, this is meant to be easy to follow. We are hobby chefs who love to cook, and we are always up for learning new techniques. If you know of anything in this recipe which can be done a different way, whether for increased ease of preparation or better taste, please add a comment below!

Whipped up by Charline Leblond

Mango Crumble

A sweet and warm dessert to enjoy for a romantic dinner as well as if you have people over, or just for your family. It is a delight, and it is a simple dessert to prepare. Honestly, the most complicated thing in this recipe is to peel and cut the mangoes in chunks.

For this recipe, I used a 26 centimeters-diameter (2.3 liters) oven dish.

You will need:

• 2 mangoes
• 60 grams of brown sugar (30 grams for the cooking of the mangos + 30 grams for the grilling part)
• 1 tablespoon of dark spiced rum
• 145 grams of flour
• 100 grams of sugar
• 75 grams of butter (+ some to butter the oven dish)

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Baking time: 35 minutes
Grilling time: not more than 5 minutes


Start by peeling and cutting your mangoes in small chunks.

Place the mango chunks into a pan with 30 grams of brown sugar and the rum.

Cook for about 5 minutes.

Pour the mango into a strainer, so you can keep the juice.

While the mango is straining, pre-heat your oven to 175 C (345 F), and prepare the crumble part of your crumble.

In a bowl, add the flour and the sugar, and mix.

Then add the melted butter.

Mix with your fingers until you obtain a dough similar to crumbs.

Once the mango-rum juice has drained and your dish is buttered you can assemble your crumble.

Place your mango chunks in the bottom of the dish.

Add the crumble dough on top.

Place in the oven for 35 minutes.

Brush the crumble top with the mango-rum juice.

Sprinkle the rest of the brown sugar on top.

Put under the grill for no more than 5 minutes (keep an eye on it as the grill can go really fast).

You can now enjoy your sweet and warm mango crumble.

*Note: As I like to eat my crumble still warm, I generally bake it 2 hours before dinner, once it's baked, place a lid or a cover over your dish and it will keep warm for about 2 hours, or you can just re-heat it before your meal.
You can also eat the mango crumble cold.

As with all the other recipes we put on this site, this is meant to be easy to follow. We are hobby chefs who love to cook, and we are always up for learning new techniques. If you know of anything in this recipe which can be done a different way, whether for increased ease of preparation or better taste, please add a comment below!

Whipped up by Charline Leblond