Maple BCA Nog

Let's say that, hypothetically, even though you just celebrated National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day and National Mole Day a couple weeks ago, your chickens are in overdrive for some reason and gifting you with more eggs than you can reasonably use.  More than you can reasonably use, that is, until you realize that November 7 is National Bittersweet Chocolate and Almond Day and that November is Native American Heritage Month.  What is one traditional sweetener of many Native American tribes?  Maple syrup, of course!  (Buddy the Elf loves celebrating Native American heritage.)  Fun fact: if the water in maple sap is evaporated under vacuum at low temperature instead of boiled, nearly pure sucrose syrup is the product.  The heat from boiling the sap results in some dehydration and Maillard reactions of the sucrose molecules (and the less-concentrated glucose, fructose, and impurities), which give the characteristic maple flavor and color.

When we first considered the amalgamation of chocolate, maple, and almond, we were somewhat skeptical that such bold flavors could be favorably combined, but we were encouraged by rave reviews of other similarly-seasoned dishes.  Fortunately, our courageousness paid off.  However, we wish we had a more clever name for this flavor of eggnog, but we couldn't come up with anything good.  If you have a better idea, let us know!

As usual, start with six egg yolks and beat until thick and light yellow.  Trick question: can you find the sixth yolk in the shot on the left?

Mix in 1.5 c milk and heat to 160 °F to pasteurize.

Mix in 1 c. bittersweet chocolate chips, melted down to about 0.5 cups, then 0.5 cups maple syrup, 1-2 teaspoons almond extract, and 1.5 cups milk, in that order.  The reason is that the chocolate and syrup disperse in the nog much better when it's still warm, and the milk cools it down a lot. In reality, one could also use cocoa powder, milk chocolate, semisweet chocolate, or melted Halloween candy and achieve similar results, but bittersweet chocolate is recommended for the spirit of the day.

Enjoy the nog while admiring silly edible artwork.  As an aside, making this recipe is a good way to drown your sorrows when your favorite football team plays poorly, especially on a Monday night when the star quarterback gets injured.

The Recipe:
6 egg yolks
3 c. milk
1 c. bittersweet chocolate chips, melted
0.5 c. maple syrup
1-2 t. almond extract

Beat the egg yolks until thick and yellow, add half the milk, mix well, and heat to 160 °F.  Add melted chocolate, then syrup, then almond extract and remaining milk, mix well.  Cool to room temperature or below if will power permits.


Have you thought of a better name for this flavor of eggnog yet?  How do you celebrate Native American Heritage month? (Other than with a glass of eggnog, of course.)  Let us know in the comments section below!