Eggnog for Missionaries (and everyone else)

Good training is essential to the missionary task.  Language and Cultural issues need to be addressed.  Teaching methods need to explained.  Expectations need to be tempered.  The organization that I work for places a heavy emphasis on training.  However, due to a gross oversight on their part, during the 2.5 years we spent in cross-cultural missionary training, nothing was said about eggnog.

During my last Christmas season in the States a year ago, the knowledge that I could no longer go to Town & Country and pick up Darigold's finest at $1.50/qt drove me to the interwebs, hunting a recipe.  After a month of arduous research, I was satisfied with the concoction I was producing.  This year, I have been asked to share, so here it is:

The two critical ingredients that missionaries may have a hard time finding are:
1. Nutmeg: don't bother trying without it. Find something else to drink.
2. Rum flavoring/extract: If you can't get the extract, but have access to rum, you can burn some of the alcohol off.  Put some rum in a saucepan, and light it on fire. Seriously. When the flame dies (on its own), you will not have removed all of the alcohol, but enough to take away the alcohol-flavor (if that bothers you) and any effect that it might have in this quantity. I discovered yesterday that you will need to use more than the recipe below suggests, to get the flavor right. I think the commercial rum extract must have a more potent flavor.

My suggestions for cooking and EGG SAFETY
1. According to the USDA, you have to heat the egg mixture up to 160F if you want to be completely safe. The problem is that if you cook it too fast, you'll poach the eggs in the milk and they'll get clumpy and nasty.  If you cook them too long, they'll get clumpy and nasty. A meat thermometer is your friend.
2.  I do not have a double boiler.  I did rig one up last year, to use on the electric range, but it was goofy.  We brought stainless steel pots with 1/2" thick bottoms to Bolivia.  I turn the flame on the gas stove all the way down, then use the valve on the regulator (at the gas bottle) to cut it down as far as it will go without going out.  I do not have burning or sticking problems.  If you have thin-bottom pots, but access to steel, you could put a piece of steel plate under the pot.

[UPDATE:  an idea for getting the temperature perfect: Eggnog Update!]

I tried several different recipes last year, and this was our favorite.  The only changes I've made is more rum flavor (as noted above), I always use cream instead of half-n-half, and I like to drink it hot.

(I found it here)

INGREDIENTS:
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk
1 cup half and half
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoon imitation rum flavoring
nutmeg -- as desired


PREPARATION:

Mix beaten eggs with sugar and salt in the top of a double boiler. Add milk and half-and-half. Cook over boiling water, stirring constantly, just until mixture coats spoon, about 10 to 15 minutes. Cool. Add vanilla and rum flavoring. Chill.

Immediately before serving, strain eggnog. Beat with a rotary beater until frothy. Pour into chilled cups. Sprinkle each serving with nutmeg, as desired.