Eggnog Entrees Bring Holiday Cheer - Food News - Cooking

Eggnog Entrees Bring Serious Holiday Cheer

No Comments | Written on December 14, 2011 at 1:00 pm, by Lesley Kennedy

Cappuccino Eggnog We’re not picky when it comes to eggnog. In our coffee? Sublime. Spiked with bourbon or rum? Oh, yeah. By the quart? Yes, please. And, now that we hear chefs are baking with our favorite holiday drink? The Christmas cheer has most definitely arrived.

“Today” reports eggnog flan had diners licking their lips at Boston restaurant 606 Congress several years ago, and now chef Richard Garcia has taken it beyond dessert, using an eggnog froth to coat cider-glazed pork belly with pumpkin gnocchi. Yes, that was an oink we just released.

New York City chef Cesare Casella, who mans the kitchen at Salumeria Rosi Parmacotto, combines eggnog with risotto and parm to make “the dinner version of rice pudding,” according to the news show. Oh. Em. Gee. Pardon us while we dab the drool from our chin.

And, of course, there are plenty of pros creating sinful eggnog sweets. Chicory eggnog custard, anyone? How about an eggnog panna cotta or eggnog/cranberry compote tarte? If you said no, you clearly have no soul.

“It’s one of the ingredients that a good chef will look at and figure out what to do,” Garcia tells “Today.” “It’s no harder than any other cooking ingredient, but you really only think about it one month out of the year.”

Thank goodness for that. Could you imagine if eggnog was carted out daily? Let’s just say Santa would have some serious competition when it came to filling out that red suit.