[1] Eggnog was originally served in a four-ounce cup, called a nog (photo and recipe © Whole Foods Market). It’s the size of a modern punch cup.

[2] We like a grated nutmeg garnish on eggnog. You can substitute grated chocolate. (photo © McCormick).

[3] If you want to serve a nibble with the nog, try gingersnaps (photo © Splendid Spoon).

Eggnog, also spelled egg nog or egg-nog, dates to Colonial America. It is descended from European milk-and-wine punches that were served centuries before then. Here’s the history of egg nog.

In Europe as well as the Colonies, the alcoholic beverage was also known as milk punch or egg milk punch—hence the first part of “egg nog.”

A noggin is a small drinking cup or mug, holding a quarter of a pint (4 ounces)—the same as what we now call a punch cup.

“Noggin” first appears in print in the mid-17th century. It initially referred to the cup, and later indicated a quarter of a pint [source].

Noggin became nog, and the egg-based drink served in it: egg nog.

December 24th is National Eggnog Day, but we wanted you to see this recipe prior to Christmas.
 
 
THE RICHEST DRINK

Fortunate we are that an eggnog serving is only four ounces. The sweet, rich beverage is typically made with milk, cream, sugar, egg yolks and whipped egg whites.

Some people top it with whipped cream, others add ice cream. Talk about gilding the lily!

This recipe from Whole Foods Market adds another holiday ingredient: cranberries.

You can make the eggnog from scratch or save time and purchase it.

 
 
RECIPE: CRANBERRY EGGNOG

In the following recipe, the sweet richness of eggnog is tempered by the tart cranberries.

For Thanksgiving, you can substitute pumpkin purée and some pumpkin pie spices (allspice, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg) for the cranberries.

Eggnog is typically served with alcohol: bourbon, brandy or rum (if you have spiced rum, this is the time to bring it out).

If you don’t know the preferences of your guests—cocktail vs. mocktail, or type of spirit—prepare the eggnog without alcohol.

Leave bottles of any or all of the spirits next to the eggnog. People can add their favorite alcohol, or none at all.

We like our eggnog with a crunchy gingersnap on the side—a seasonal cookie that’s better here than the even more seasonal gingerbread man, because it’s less sweet. Mini biscotti work, too.

Ingredients For 8 Four-Ounce Servings

1. COMBINE the eggnog, cranberries and salt in a blender and purée until smooth. Keep chilled until ready to serve.

You can add a bit of the leftovers to your morning coffee.
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*We don’t like to garnish with cranberries because they’re too tart to eat. Thus: food waste by those who know; spitting out by those who try to eat them.

A great gift for any occasion—and especially for a last-minute holiday gift—is a subscription to a meal delivery service.

You can send it anytime, in the sum of your choice. The recipient gets an email with instructions on how to select and order his/her meals.

We recently received a gift of a week of prepared meals from Eat Clean Bro Meal Delivery Service, which serves most areas of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

There are other meal delivery options across the country, offering everything from the mainstream to keto-friendly to dairy-free, gluten-free and meals under 400 calories.

We’d never ordered from a service before, and we were very surprised at how good everything was: flavorful meals designed to nourish with “clean” food*.

Eat Clean Bro’s menu was developed by a bodybuilder, based on the guidelines that he and other athletes follow.

In fact, our meals tasted like our Mom was back in the kitchen, turning out her fine home cooking.

We got to choose the menu for the forthcoming week’s meals, and selected;

 
Everything is delivered fully cooked and ready to heat. When reheated, the meals were as delicious as they would have been right off the stove.
 
 
WHO WILL ENJOY THIS MOST?

It’s a great idea for people who don’t like to cook, or don’t have the time.

It’s a great way to get a diet off to an easy start for the new year.

Giftees can order during their busy season (example: the upcoming tax season for accountants, final exams), or the time crunches we all have.

[1] Six days of clean eating (all photos © Eat Clean Bro).

[2] Pineapple-glazed salmon with diced vegetables, chickpeas and beans.

[3] Carolina half chicken with vegetables.

A meal delivery service may be an eye-opener for a friend or family member who’s never tried meal delivery before. It’s a luxury that we think is well worth it.

To find a service in the giftee’s area, check online and check the menus.

While most services have excellent choices of meat, poultry and seafood, some services have an equally large selection of vegan and vegetarian options; some have organic and low-salt options, etc.

To our friends who are reading this: Yes, we’d like another gift of meal delivery.

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*Clean eating is a dietary concept that avoids refined and processed foods, and those that have artificial ingredients, including certain preservatives and additives. The goal is to eat whole, natural foods.

A few weeks ago we wrote about Bailey’s Red Velvet Irish Cream Liqueur in a product review.

We’ve grown so very fond of it that we’ve elevated it to a Top Pick Of The Week.

A special edition for Holiday 2019, chocolate lovers should not miss this one (photo #1).

Baileys Red Velvet Irish Cream liqueur has rich cocoa flavor that classic red velvet cake should have, but most rarely do (that’s our humble opinion).

It smells like cocoa, tastes like cocoa made with heavy cream, and for eye appeal, it’s a dusty rose color.
 
 
USES FOR BAILEYS RED VELVET IRISH CREAM LIQUEUR

Sip it straight! This stuff is just too good to mix into cocktails, to bake into brownies or red velvet cake, or to swirl into cheesecake.

But you can:

 
We bought ourselves a few bottles to last through the year, and a few more bottles as holiday gifts.

We hope you love it as much as we do!

[1] Sip the pink elixir from a liqueur glass, or turn it into a mini ice cream float, shown here with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream (photo © Diageo).

[2] Have some as a chaser after a piece of red velvet cake. Here’s the recipe from McCormick (photo © McCormick).

[1] Jingle Belle: 7-Up and bitters with a raspberry-mint garnish (photo © Beatnik | Chicago).

More and more people don’t drink alcohol, and seek club soda or soft drinks at parties.

If some of your guests fall into that category, why not create a “Mocktail Menu?”

It’s quite easy, and it will bring them some extra holiday cheer.

Some suggestions:

 
Even guests who do drink alcohol may turn to the Mocktail Menu for their third drinks, and beyond.

This is the same mixture used for a regular Bloody Mary, just without the vodka.

Our recipe makes a spicy drink with lots of flavor and just 41 calories per 8-ounce glass. Plus, it has 74% of the daily requirement of vitamin C and 22% of vitamin A.

As an alternative to horseradish you can use 6 drops of hot sauce, but the horseradish adds much better flavor.

If you don’t want any heat, use more Worcestershire and lemon juice; then experiment with a drop or two of hot sauce to round out the flavors.

Ingredients For Four 8-Ounce Drinks

 
Preparation

Combine the ingredients and chill. Before serving, stir or shake the mix.

If it’s well chilled, there’s no need for ice, that dilutes the drink.

Austin, Texas has become a hot city to visit and move to, abetted by its ever-expanding food scene.

One place of interest is Fluff Meringues & More is a modern patisserie that proffers European treats in a market full of cupcakes and Southern pecan pie.

A meringue cookie is the opposite of these latter favorites. The light fluffs of egg whites and sugar are cholesterol free, lower in calories and welcome at home on an assorted cookie plate, a dessert plate garnish or with after-dinner coffee and tea.

At Fluff Meringues & More, you can have a civilized afternoon tea respite, with fetching pastries, scones, mousse, homemade marshmallows and of course, meringues. Put it on your go-to list for a visit to Austin.

While you can see the wealth of meringue flavors in photo #3, Fluff Meringues & More has shared a holiday-inspired flavor with us: Vanilla Cardamom Pistachio Meringue Drops.
 
 
RECIPE: VANILLA CARDAMOM PISTACHIO MERINGUE DROPS

Ingredients For Approximately 35 Drops

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 400°F. Separate egg whites from the yolks, being sure not to allow any yolk to drip into the whites. Weigh the whites as you go. Reserve the yolks for another use).

2. WEIGH the sugar to match the 2:1 egg white ratio. Spread the sugar out on tray. Place in the oven and heat for 7-8 minutes. While the sugar is heating…

3. WHIP the egg whites in a stand mixer until they are stiff. Start on medium speed for 2 minutes, then move to high until stiff peaks form.

4. REMOVE the sugar from oven and reduce the oven temperature to 215°-230°. The oven will need to decrease in temperature quickly, so leaving the door open a bit for a few minutes helps.

5. BEGIN adding the sugar immediately. Initially spoon in large spoonfuls until 1/3 to 1/2 pf the mixture is gone. Let mix on high for 30 seconds, then start slowly streaming in the remainder of the sugar.

6. WHIP until all the granules are dissolved and the batter is stiff, tacky, and shiny. Add the cardamom and whip for 10-15 seconds. Add the vanilla and whip for 5-10 seconds. Don’t over-mix vanilla!

7. LOAD the meringue into a piping bag and pipe meringue drops onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 50 minutes in the lower rack of the oven. Cool on rack for 20 minutes. While meringues are cooling…

8. HEAT the white chocolate in a double boiler (or very carefully in the microwave, at 30 seconds until melted. NOTE: If you burn the chocolate, you’ll have to start over. Stir and make sure the melted chocolate is smooth.

9. PLACE the crushed pistachios in a wide bowl. After the meringues are cool, delicately dip the bottoms of the drops into the melted chocolate, then dip into the pistachios. Place the dipped meringues back on a sheet of clean parchment paper and let them set for 15-20 minutes.

 
Now you’re ready to serve or store them in an airtight container.

 
THE HISTORY OF MERINGUE

Some sources say that that meringue was invented in the Swiss village of Meiringen in the 18th century, and improved by an Italian chef named Gasparini.

Not all experts agree: The Oxford English Dictionary, for example, states that the French word is of unknown† origin.

The one fact we can hang on to is that the name of the confection called meringue first appeared in print in chef François Massialot’s seminal 1691 cookbook, available in translation as The Court And Country Cook.

The word meringue first appeared in English in 1706 in an English translation of Massialot’s book. But before then…

[1] You can serve white meringues, but doesn’t the edible gel “paint” look great? (photos #1 to #3 © Fluff Meringues & More).

[2] You can apply the concept to any holiday; for example, pink and purple for Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day. You may also enjoy these Rosewater Raspberry Meringues.

[3] A great party tray. Fluffs Meringue & More calls this their Rainbow Tray.

[4] You can swirl caramel, chocolate or other flavor into the meringue batter (photo © Fika | NYC (now closed).

[5] You can get sophisticated, as with these Red Wine Sea Salt Meringues. Here’s the recipe (photo and recipe © Raw Spice Bar).

 
Meringues were traditionally shaped between two large spoons, as they are sometimes are at home today, by those without piping equipment.
 
The Dawn Of The Piping Bag & Tip

Meringue piped through a pastry bag was introduced by the great French chef Marie-Antoine Carême (1784-1833—he preferred to be called Antonin), the founder of the concept of haute cuisine and the Mother Sauces.

He invented modern mayonnaise and many other recipes, including charlotte russe, coeur à la crème, croquembouche, éclairs, mille-feuille and other iconic French recipes.

He also invented modern mayonnaise, éclairs, and other icons of French cuisine.
 
The Term “Meringue”

No one can find a historical derivation of the word “meringue,” but there are many attributions to different countries (but not, surprisingly, from France).

The latest suggestion is that it comes from Middle Dutch meringue, meaning light evening meal—possibly from the Latin merenda, “light evening meal.”

How about the Middle Low German “meringe,” from mern, “to dip bread in wine.” Who wouldn’t like to dip a meringue in a glass of wine?

Contenders from include 1700 on include, from the Walloon dialect, maringue, shepherd’s loaf; marinde, food for the town of Meiringen (Bern canton, Switzerland), is completely lacking.

None of the others sounds right, either. By default, we like the Latin merenda, the feminine gerund of merere to merit, since who doesn’t merit a delicious confection?

As our mother often said: “Who cares; let’s eat!”