This holiday I used my chicken’s eggs to make fresh coconut eggnog coquito, a Puerto Rican drink that is very similar to eggnog but uses more of a coconut milk base rather than dairy cream.
I actually have dairy allergies, but I LOVE eggnog… So my mind was blown the first time I tried Coquito in Puerto Rico in the early 2000s. It was love at first sip! I was so grateful to find another option to my beloved drink so I could enjoy the holidays with a similar item.
The recipe I created is actually a combination of two family favorite recipes.
Carmen’s El Caldero Coquito:
When I was a young teenager, I used to waitress for a Spanish-Mexican-American restaurant called the El Caldero–it was the only ethnic restaurant in our town. The family who owned it became like a second family to me for many years. The family’s grandmother, Carmen, created a little family cookbook to capture her recipes before she passed, and I was lucky enough to get one… and she included her Puerto Rican Coquito recipe (pictured below)!
Usually I cannot usually find real coconuts, so I modified the recipe to use canned items, which most people have access to at the grocery store. I’m not sure what the final texture/sweetness should be from her original recipe, so I was guessing at how much her final coconut milk made for the recipe (which is also why I add extra unsweetened coconut milk as I go–adjust as you like).
“Old Virginia Egg Nog” from the St. John’s Parish 1985 Holiday Cookbook
Then I added the addition of a whipped egg-white topping from our family’s favorite Old Virginia Eggnog recipe from our beloved St. John’s Parish church holiday fundraiser cookbook from 1985 (see below).
No matter which recipe you prefer, I hope you can enjoy any one of these options this holiday season… or make your own!
Coconut Eggnog Coquito
TIME:
30 min + chill time
|
SERVES:
8-10 people
GATHER:
Eggs
| INGREDIENTS |
|---|
| 2 cans of coconut milk |
| 1 can condensed milk or coconut cream |
| 3-4 cups unsweetened coconut milk |
| 2 cinnamon sticks |
| Dash of nutmeg |
| 5 egg whites and 5 egg yolks, separated |
| 1/2 cup brown sugar |
| Optional: Rum or brandy to serve |
DIRECTIONS:
- In a large stock pan on the stove, combine the cans of coconut milk, condensed mil, 2 cups of unsweetened coconut milk, cinnamon stick, and nutmeg. Mic and bring up to a low-medium heat (no boil).
- In the bowl of a stand up mixer, combine the egg white and brown sugar, and then whip on high speed until peaks form (like whipped meringue).
- In a separate bowl, beat together the five egg yolks (like you would do for scrambled eggs). Take about half a cup of the hot mixture from the stove and slowly add it to the yolk mixture to temper the mixture, consistently mixing as you go. Tempering brings the egg yolks up to temperature slowly without cooking the eggs into a solid form (think egg drop soup–we do not want that–looking for a smooth incorporation).
- Once the mixture is sufficiently tempered and the yolks cannot separate, add this mixture back to the larger pot on the stove. Stir to mix well. Then pour in the whipped egg whites and fold them into the stovetop mixture. This should thicken everything. You can also leave some dotted on top–it doesn’t have to be thoroughly mixed.
- If you prefer your eggnog/coquito chilled (like I do), pour the mixture into a heat-safe container with a lid. I like to add 1-2 cups of unsweetened coconut milk to the mixture in order to reduce some of the sugar and thickness (make it to your tastes). Place in a fridge or chilled area outside (I’m from NY and we use the snow to our advantage).
- Serve in your favorite glassware with a cinnamon stick and a dash of nutmeg or cinnamon over the top… plus a splash of rum or brandy for those who prefer it spiked.
