I know eggnog isn’t something we are overly familiar with here in Norn Iron but I’m sure you have heard of it at some point in your life. Traditionally it’s made up of eggs, milk, cream, sugar and rum with the addition of a few spices like nutmeg and cinnamon. It’s a calorific catastrophe if you’re counting them! More of a USA tradition, they enjoy the tipple from Thanksgiving through to New Year, probably much in the same way we neck the Baileys this festive season. I stumbled upon this healthier version on my interweb travels lately, it was labelled an Eggnog Smoothie but has neither eggs nor nog involved! I tweaked the recipe a little and added coconut whipped cream as a twist and actually it was rather delicious! I slurped my ‘Eggnog’ safe in the knowledge my hips wouldn’t explode out of my jeans anytime soon. I’ll save that for Christmas day!
Eggnog Smoothie with Coconut Whipped Cream and Pomegranate jewels
Ingredients
Serves 2
750mls Almond or Coconut milk
1 banana
2 pitted dates
1 tbsp almond extract
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Topping
1 can of full fat coconut milk (chilled upright in fridge)
1 tbsp sweetener or icing sugar
2 tbsp pomegranate seeds
pinch of dessicated coconut
Method
Throw all the ingredients (except the topping ingredients) into a blender and blend for about two minutes or until everything is combined nicely. Pour into glasses. Take the can of coconut milk and try not to to shake or tip it. You want the all the thick cream to have separated from the liquid so you can scoop it out of the can. Scoop it out into a bowl and whisk with a handheld beater for about 2 – 5 minutes until it has started to thicken (it won’t go as thick a s double cream but if you add icing sugar it helps to stabalise it). Add icing sugar or sweetener to taste and pour over eggnog. Finish with pomegranate seeds and dessicated coconut. Try it with a frozen banana for a different texture or throw in some ice cubes for a slushy!
Sharon Duffin Photography 