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Once you make this velvety, creamy, lightly sweet eggnog, you may never go back to the grocery store variety (which is far too heavy on the sugar and thick but somehow still watery). Note this recipe is the one Ryan uses in his own home during the holidays. However this recipe is easily modified to suit your unique tastes:

• Want a non-alcoholic eggnog? You can omit the alcohol entirely without any changes and you'll still have a delicious drink. However it's a nice touch to substitute the booze for 1 tablespoon of vanilla or rum extract. You can even substitute the alcohol 1:1 with a lightly sweet root beer (Utah's own Taproot root beer is perfect for this).
• Want an even richer eggnog? Increase the heavy cream and/or add extra egg yolk to the initial step.
• Want more or less booze? Simply adjust to your tastes. Anywhere from 1/2 cup to 1 1/2 cups can work with this recipe. If you maximize the booze, adding a corresponding jump in cream can help keep the balance.
• Want it more or less sweet? You can easily adjust the sugar without adjusting any other ratios. Anywhere from 1/3 cup to 1 cup will work fine.
• Want to try the traditional uncooked version? Simply omit the cooking steps (still take care to whisk the cream and eggs first and then slowly whisk in the milk).

Ingredients

• 6 large eggs
• 1 cup + 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup dark rum (or brandy, or whiskey)
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg (fresh grated is best) + extra for garnish
• cinnamon sticks as optional garnish

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, 1 cup of cream, and sugar together until pale yellow and lightly frothy. Set aside.
2. Mix the milk and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over low-medium heat stirring regularly. When the milk simmers, remove from heat.
3. Gently temper the egg mixture by slowing adding in the milk. Slowly add the milk 1/2 cup at a time, whisking constantly, and make sure everything is well mixed before adding more.
4. Return the entire mixture to the saucepan and cook over a low-medium heat, whisking constantly, until it reaches 160 F. Take care to watch the temperature closely and not let it surpass 160.
5. Once the mixture reaches 160, remove from the heat. Whisk in the nutmeg and rum.
6. Transfer to a chilled bowl, cover, and refrigerate 2-3 hours (or up to 2-3 days) until cold.
7. Immediately prior to serving, whip the remaining 3/4 cup cream on medium speed just until light peaks form. Gently whisk the whipped cream into the eggnog just until fully incorporated.
8. Serve cold (chilled glasses and punchbowl can be a great touch). Garnish with extra nutmeg and/or cinnamon sticks as desired.
9. Enjoy!

Watch a video of Ryan and Kaleb making this on our Happy Hour Hump day on our social media here. You can also buy our eggnog gelato to make your season merry and bright. Get a pint here.

Eat well and happy holidays!

A beautiful charcuterie or cheese board is one of our favorite pre-dinner offerings. At some cocktail parties, it can even take over as the centerpiece of the evening's fare. We of course love all the visuals, textures and tastes. But we also love the sophisticated old world charm it brings. And since most of the items have a good shelf life and are best served cool / room temp, it's easy to shop and assemble it advance. It's the perfect party food!

You can easily assemble you own fabulous cheese and charcuterie boards at home to entice your guests. Here are some steps to follow that can make the process easy.

Step #1 - Start with the meats and cheeses.

Meat and cheese are the stars and they should get the lion's share of your attention, budget, and space on the board.

Quantities should vary depending on your unique situation. E.g. what else is being served? How long is the happy hour? Is a full dinner to follow? As a general rule , 1-2 ounces of charcuterie and 2-3 ounces of cheese per person is a good starting point for a charcuterie board that plays as appetizer to a meal. If the charcuterie is the only food, you can double or triple those quantities depending on the time of day and your unique crowd's tastes.

With both the meat and cheese, try to create an array of flavors, textures, and visuals. You may opt for 2-6 varieties of each depending on the size of your group.

When selecting meats, look to mix in different styles: sliced and whole, cured and cooked, whole muscle and stuffed ground, etc. Creminelli Fine Meats is one of our favorite local vendors and we'll often create some variety by selecting some of their sliced prosciutto, whole capicola, and soppressata, and wild boar - just to name a few!

When selecting cheeses take the same approach. It's nice to offer something soft like a brie or young goat cheese, something blue like a gorgonzola or Maytag, something aged like a manchego or cheddar.

Indeed, cheddars are always highlighted on the cheese boards you'll see at our events. Aged cheddar is practically universally loved. And our fantastic Utah artisans are producing some of the world's best cheddar selections. You might consider the Barely Buzzed from Beehive Cheese (a perennial favorite of ours), or the Vanilla Bean from Heber Valley. And may we brag a bit here and suggest our own Culinary Crafts Exclusive Cheese Flight. You can read in more depth about Utah's fabulous cheese scene here.

Step #2 - Add sweet accoutrements.

The strong and pungent flavors of your cheeses are often best balanced against something fresh and sweet. Fresh berries, apples, pears, grapes, figs, etc. are always a fit. In the off seasons, dried fruits are a perfect fit.

You can also also bring in some sweetness via spreadable elements like honey and jams. There's lots of great local cottage made jams at your farmer's markets. Raw local honey abounds as well. Slide Ridge Honey is one of our favorites.

Step #3 - Add salty accoutrements.

Olives, nuts (may we suggest some fabulous Red Rock Pistachios), and savory tapenades are perfect for this piece.

Step#4 - Add tangy accoutrements.

Pickles of any and all varieties are the go-to option here. But whole grain mustard, chimichurri, or citrusy hummus can fill this role wonderfully too.

Step#5 - Don't forget the vehicles.

Bread, crostini, lavosh, crackers, etc. are important because they're delivery devices. They facilitate getting that cheese and honey to your mouth!

Step #6 - Add something just for looks.

Take a look at the board you've assembled thus far. How does it look? Does it need some color? Does it need a touch of something fresh? Edible flowers, fresh herbs, etc. can be the extra touch that takes your board to the next level.

Step #7 - Think about the beverage pairings.

The good news is that so many different drinks pair wonderfully with charcuterie and cheese:

• Something bubbly. Crisp acidic sparkling wines are the obvious choice.  Dry sparkling cider is a nice non-alcoholic option. Club soda with citrus is also very pleasant. Avoid the overly sweet mainstream soda options.
• Beers - especially well balanced ales cut the fat and make the charcuterie taste rich and flavorful.
• Wine - it's hard to go wrong pairing wine with meat and cheese. The richness of the meat and cheese will stand up to a full bold red if you prefer. But light and acidic whites are wonderful palate cleansers that play very well. If you have spicy elements on your board, avoid high tannin wines. Slightly sweet and off-dry wines can be wonderful, but don't go as sweet as you would with a dessert wine. May we suggest our own private label wines or any of the fabulous blends from our favorite local winery Old Town Cellars.

Join us on our Instagram later this week for a shopping trip with Kaleb Crafts to see how we shop for and assemble the perfect charcuterie board. Or, for a limited time during the holidays, you can skip the work and buy the a killer charcuterie board already assembled for you in our online shop.

Eat Well!

Ingredients

• ~8 cups of popped popcorn
• 3-5 strips of cooked bacon diced
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 250 F (optional see note below).*
2. In a large bowl combine popcorn and bacon. Set aside.
3. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Add sugar, corn syrup and salt. Increase heat to medium and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
4. Reduce to medium-low heat and continue to boil for 5 minutes stirring regularly to avoid any scorching on the bottom of the pan.
5. Remove from heat. Stir add vanilla and baking soda. Caramel will be foamy - this is normal.
6. Pour caramel over popcorn and bacon. Stir together until completely and evenly coated.
7. Spread popcorn onto greased baking sheet pans. Bake for 1 hour stirring every 15 minutes.*
8. Remove from the oven and let cool. Break up any large chunks and enjoy!

Vanilla Vinaigrette

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup champagne vinegar (or substitute Slide Ridge Honey vinegar, or lemon juice)
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (homemade extract is highly preferred and if you have whole vanilla beans, the seeds can be used instead or in addition to extract here)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• optional fresh ground pepper to taste
• optional 1-2 tablespoons mayonnaise

Directions