Eggnog by Pavel Berky

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1
  Put the cream, milk, and condensed milk in a pot. Add the seeds from the vanilla pod, star anise, cinnamon, and bring everything to a boil. Also, throw in the vanilla pod shell. Once the mixture starts boiling, remove the pot from the heat. Let it steep for at least 10 minutes. Then strain the contents into another container. Set the vanilla pod shell aside.
• 2
  Prepare a water bath. Crack 3 egg yolks into a bowl and add sugar. Place the bowl over the water bath and whisk the yolks with a hand whisk for approximately 6-7 minutes (if you have a kitchen thermometer, the temperature should reach a maximum of 65 - 70°C). Then remove the bowl from the water bath and, while stirring constantly, pour in ⅓ of the steeped milk. Wait until everything is perfectly combined and pour in the rest of the milk. Then place the bowl back over the water bath and, while stirring constantly, wait until the cream thickens. It should have the consistency of a thinner pudding. Finally, while stirring constantly, pour rum and almond liqueur into the bowl.
• 3
  Then strain the liqueur through a fine sieve. Place the reserved vanilla pod shell in a clean bottle and fill the bottle with the liqueur. Store in a cool place.