Instructions: 1. Separate the 12 eggs. Set the whites aside in the fridge, tightly covered for safety, as they wont be needed until much later.

2. Beat the yolks until they noticeably lighten in color.

From here on out, an industrial-strength mixer (Kitchen-Aid K5, for instance) is a big help. [Being at my in-laws, I was forced to use a little GE hand mixer. It worked fine.]

3. Continue beating the yolks while adding the confectioners sugar.

4. Beat for about 4 minutes or until the mixture turns much lighter yellow and takes on a satin-like texture.

5. While still beating, slowly add 500 ml liquor. [If you decide you need more, this is NOT where you put it in.]

6. After the liquor is thoroughly beaten in, cover the mixture with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and let it stand for 1 hour at room temperature. This is to "cook" the eggs and takes much longer if you refrigerate. [I lay plastic wrap right down on top of the mixture to avoid any possible "skin" that might form.]

7. After standing, add the heavy whipping cream, unwhipped! You could try whipping it first, but again, you are on your own.

8. Add the nutmeg. OPTION: At this point, the original recipe calls for adding an additional 500ml-1 l of liquor, but I omitted this as it passed a taste-test as-is. If you want your Nog a LOT stronger, have at it, but please taste before you pour.

9. Mix thoroughly, again.

10. Refrigerate the mixture for 3 hours to let it ripen. I use two large juice containers. It splits nicely between them and will fit in our fridge. [Overnight is good, if youre making it for, say, Christmas day, but see the safety note below if you intend to let it sit overnight.]

11. At the end of the 3 hours, remember where you put the egg whites. Beat them until stiff but not dry, adding about 100 g sugar to slightly sweeten the whites. N.B.: 12 egg whites whip into quite a mass, so be prepared. [You can also whip them 6 at a time. This is probably a very good idea if youre doing it in a Kitchenaid, since 12 might overflow the bowl.]

12. Assembly instructions. Pour the whites into the serving bowl you will be using. Then gently and slowly pour the other mixture into the bowl, mixing with a whisk to fold it all together. The whites should be smoothly and evenly distributed through the Nog to make it fluffy. They will lose some of their bulk so dont be afraid to mix thoroughly. Sprinkle the top with some more nutmeg, and serve. A shaker of nutmeg by the bowl is a nice touch for those wanting a shake on their own mugful. [The first time I made this recipe, I had to keep restirring the mixture. The only difference I can think of is that the second time I didnt add sugar to the egg whites.]

[This makes a large amount of egg
two knives, cut butter into flour until mixture has the texture of cornmeal. Stir in baking powder, brown sugar and cinnamon. Add egg and hot water and mix until well blended.

2. Knead dough 2 or 3 minutes. Set half aside. Roll out into a square about 3 mm thick. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Score dough into 5-cm squares, using a sharp knife.

3. Bake at 175 C for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Roll out and bake remaining half of dough. Cool baked crackers and gently separate into squares.

I originally got this recipe from a newspaper and played around a bit until I thought it tasted like Sunshine Honey Grahams. Ive occassionally used ordinary whole wheat flour when I didnt have any graham flour and it still worked alright. Graham flour is coarser.

Difficulty : moderate (judgment required).

Precision : measure the ingredients.

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