Ingredients
- 4 fresh, clean, organic, pasture-raised eggs, separated*
- ¼ cup light palm sugar (or regular sugar)
- 1 cup organic heavy cream, preferably from pastured cows
- 2 cups organic whole milk, preferably from pastured cows
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon fresh-grated nutmeg, plus extra to garnish
Place the egg yolks and 2 tablespoons of the sugar into a mixing bowl and beat until it thickens.
Place the egg whites and remaining 2 tablespoons of sweetener into another mixing bowl and beat until soft peaks are formed.
In a third bowl, add the cream and beat until it starts to thicken. Add the milk, vanilla and ¾ teaspoon nutmeg and beat until well incorporated.* Add the yolks and beat in. Finally, fold in the whites until well incorporated. Divide into cups and sprinkle each one liberally with extra nutmeg to serve.
Yield 6- 8 servings
*To make it a cocktail, add 2-3 ounces of white rum or bourbon when you add the milk.
NOTE:
*As a chef I am duty-bound to mention the FDA caution in consuming raw or partially cooked eggs because of the marginal risk of contracting salmonella or another food-borne illness. On the one hand this is a real concern because, unlike other food-borne illnesses, the number of salmonella cases has actually increased over the past 15 years. However, the contamination of eggs usually originates in contaminated factories with unhealthy chickens.
Does this mean you should never eat raw eggs? If you buy conventional eggs from industrial farms, the answer to that question is probably yes. However, to avoid contaminated eggs, what you really need to avoid is contaminated feed and factory farming conditions. The solution is to purchase your eggs from smaller, free range, organic poultry farms, preferably local, where you can see happy, healthy chickens scratching in a field. Know where your food comes from. I personally eat raw eggs. I love them in smoothies, in Caesar dressing, and in egg nog, but only if they are from healthy, pasture-raised chickens on smaller, clean, local farms.
To further reduce your risk of any contamination, wash any eggs that aren’t perfectly clean, always keep them refrigerated, and try to keep the egg contents from coming in contact with the outside of the shell when you crack them.
