Broguiere's Egg Nog

It's not often that I dedicate a review -- but with this one, I have to give a special shout out to Doug who runs the the O.K. Corral Ostrich Farm. You might have seen Doug on Dirty Jobs or Modern Marvels. Or perhaps you've even been lucky enough to try some of his ostrich meat or eggs. The reason this review this is dedicated to Doug is because he and I have been email pals for about the last year, and one of the things we've talked about a lot is our shared love of Broguiere's products.

Anyway, I have been looking forward to trying this since last year when Doug -- along with many other readers, as well as literally hundreds of online mini-reviews -- proclaimed Broguiere's to be quite possibly the best egg nog in the world. Really, how could I possibly not want to try that? Unfortunately for me, by the time I decided to, it was so late in the season that there was simply no more of the egg nog on the shelves. Broguiere's only produces egg nog for a brief, seasonal production run each year...and when its gone for the year, it's gone. In my area there are few stores that even carry it. I also live 34 miles from the location of their own drive-thru store; which, with Southern California traffic, is more than just a bit of a nuisance. However, if you are close to Montebello, California (in the greater Los Angeles area) it is possible to get it directly from them in greater quantities than you can from a typical retail location.



As with all of Broguiere's products, it comes in an old fashioned heavy glass bottle. The color of the nog is a rich buttery yellow, with little specks of spice sprinkled throughout. And before you even take a sip, you can see it's easily twice as thick as any other egg nog you're likely to have tried.

Tastewise, it lives up to every single bit of hype. It's extremely creamy, and like all the other Broguiere's products that I have tried, it leaves the same fatty, rich film in your mouth that a premium ice cream does. There are notes of vanilla and nutmeg. Maybe a touch of cinnamon too. But what it really tasted like to me was a super quality butterscotch. I'll bet a touch of dark rum added to this nog would make a fantastic adult treat -- but even drunk straight from its 1950's Leave it to Beaver-looking bottle, it's sinfully good.



I think even if you've been a horrible brat throughout the year, if you leave this for Santa, you could bribe your way into getting that new Wii.

Bottom line -- this is simply the Best Egg Nog EVER! It's even better than the Southern Comfort egg nogs I reviewed last year, and make no mistake, I still love those too.

Plagiarizing from myself here, but...I know that for those of you outside of Southern California, this review may be something of a tease. But you ought to search out local dairies in your own area that sell products like this. The difference between this and the highly processed stuff you're probably used to drinking is amazing, and worth whatever it takes to hunt it down.



PURCHASED FROM:
Vons Supermarket

PRICE:
$5.39 per quart bottle (price includes $2 bottle deposit, which is refundable when empty bottle is returned).

ADDITIONAL INFO:
None on the bottle, but the cap advises you to call (323) 726-0524 for nutritional info.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
Talk about old school...if they have a web site, I couldn't find it. But they do have a Yelp page here, most of whose reviews are even droolier than mine.

Vosges Holiday Bonbon Collection

Let me say a big thank you to Vosges Haut Chocolate for ignoring the fact that I rank rather high up on the Naughty List, and for treating me to an early Christmas present by sending me this collection of holiday-inspired truffles.




There are four different truffles in the collection:

* Mascarpone & Ceylon Cinnamon Snap
* Holiday Plum Pudding
* Candy Cane Peppermint
* Eggnog & Jamican Rum

And just try tell me they aren't beautiful to look at, I dare you! Anyway, for this review, I will start with...


Mascarpone & Ceylon Cinnamon Snap:



I love mascarpone cheese so much that I have been known to eat it plain, straight from the container. Mascarpone, should you not know, is a type of super-rich cream cheese that can be eaten on its own -- or mixed into anything and everything. In my family, we make cannoli filling with it. (Should you want to try my family's version pick, up a copy of Henry Hill's The Wiseguy Cookbook. The cannoli recipe on pages 86-88 is actually my mother's.)

And keeping with the Goodfellas theme, Ceylon cinnamon is basically the Godfather of the cinnamon world. All other cinnamon-type products, while still members of the family, are various levels of underbosses, capos, and plain old soldiers. The cinnamon is sprinkled generously atop the 45% deep milk chocolate shell. Inside is the mascarpone. This truffle also contains organic sour cream.



Giving the truffle a sniff from the top, it's the deep woodsy spice of the cinnamon that you notice. Once you get into the center of the truffle (normally I would just bite and dig in, but for the sake of pretty pictures we sliced the truffles first), what immediately stands out is the rich dairy smell of the cheese.

When I bit into this truffle, for a split second I swear all I saw was blinding white light and unicorns! There might have been a rainbow or two, and Barry Manilow was in the background singing a soaring crescendo. Yeah, this truffle is just that good. You start with a little heat from the cinnamon on top, then when you break through the deep milk chocolate shell, the cool silky filling flows into your mouth. It's sort of like an extra creamy chocolate mousse, mixed with a healthy dose of my beloved mascarpone cheese. The deep milk chocolate was the perfect choice. It's creamy enough that it didn't get lost in the strong dairy of the cheese, and yet not dark enough that it was bitter or upstaged the cinnamon. If I didn't know the sour cream was in there I wouldn't have noticed it -- but you know what? I don't care! If you only try one Vosges truffle in your lifetime, make it this one!


Holiday Plum Pudding:



I don't have much base of reference for plum pudding. About all I really know is that the Cratchits (the family from Dicken's "A Christmas Carol") seemed to think it would not be Christmas without it. Oh, and that the traditional version is a type of steamed pudding made with different dried fruits, liquors, nuts, and is often topped with hard sauce. But I can't say I've actually had one.



The Vosges version contains plums, Armagnac (a type of brandy), and marzipan, and is covered with 65% dark chocolate.

The truffle is topped with a pretty little piece of edible silver foil. What made this one stand out was the texture. The center, rather than being completely smooth, is layered. The top portion of the filling is the same silky creme as the others. Then right below that is a layer of what looks like finely chopped plums, and on the bottom of that is the grainy marzipan layer.

I loved the overall flavor. It was lightly boozy, and the plums were plump and sweet. The dark chocolate takes the edge off of the sweetness and melts nicely. I hate to say that what ruined this truffle for me actually was my beloved marzipan. Mind you, the flavor of the marzipan was good: almonds with mild cherry notes. It was the texture I didn't like. It was like a very loose, grainy fondant. Had it been smoother or firmer, I would have really loved it as is...did I mention that the plums were really sweet?


Candy Cane Peppermint:



It's hard to get more simple than all natural candy cane pieces, peppermint, and 65% dark chocolate. And simplicity is often a virtue.



I liked the fact that the top is where the crunchy bits of candy live. It gives a little contrast in texture, and the red bits look like shards of stained glass. The outer 65% dark chocolate shell is a really deep woodsy, earthy chocolate. There's some coffee flavor. On its own it would be a bit too bitter for me -- but paired with the sweetness of the smooth mint center, it's perfect.

The center is very cool on the tongue and the texture is almost like pudding. The chocolate is so smooth and rich I could practically drink it. The peppermint is brisk. It's very natural, not mediciny or artificial. Overall it worked beautifully.


Eggnog & Jamaican Rum:



WOOHOO! Eggnog! Eggnog with RUM! As I have said before, in honor of my best friend who is from St. Croix, I am partial to Cruzan rum. But Vosges didn't get that memo and instead they opted to use Appleton Estate rum. Appleton has been distilling rum since 1749 and is the oldest distillery in Jamaica -- so it's safe to say that they know a thing or two about making rum. The truffle also contains nutmeg and ginger, and it is all wrapped up in white chocolate from the Dominican Republic.



I went into this truffle excited because it's eggnog and rum, but also a little worried, because it's a white chocolate truffle and I am just not a fan. But if anyone could make white chocolate doable for me it would be Vosges, so...

The truffle smelled sort of like rum and steamed milk. I didn't get the eggnog or the ginger at first. But the truffle center is like the best eggnog ever. It's creamy, it's rich, it's custardy. The nutmeg is there. The rum is strong enough that its presence is known, but it doesn't over power the other flavors. The ginger is represented by little soft bits of ginger that go unnoticed until they explode in your mouth. Yum! The white chocolate... OK, again let's remember that I don't like white chocolate. I did find that the outer shell seemed dry -- and that was not the case of the dark or the milks. It was creamy tasting, and there were good vanilla notes. If you are a fan of white chocolate, I expect you will love the shell. I loved the filling...oh, the bad things I would do for large quantities of that filling...

Overall, even with the couple of (minor) qualities I didn't care for, this remains a truly stellar collection. The Mascarpone/Ceylon Cinnamon Snap alone is so good that no matter how the other three flavors had turned out, I still would have been happy.

Absolutely outstanding.



PURCHASED FROM:
Sample From Company

Let me remind those of you who are still shopping for the perfect gift for the old friends and loved one (or for yourself) that Vosges Haut Chocolate is offering my readers 10% off orders placed by December 31st. Just be sure to use the special code BLGF09 when checking out.

Dreyer's/Edy's Show Churned Light Egg Nog Ice Cream: Limited Edition

By now we all know that I am an egg nog addict. I love to drink it, I love things flavored with it, and I am glad for the sake of my weight -- I kinda like going through doorways without having to butter my hips first -- that it is only available once a year.

Egg nog ice cream is one of my favorite applications. I still remember the first time I had it: Winter of 1985, at a Baskin Robbins in Scottsdale, Arizona with my childhood best friend (a shout out to Mystery -- yes, that was really her name -- wherever you may be). It was love at first lick.

In my adulthood, my hands-down favorite version is the one made by Haagen-Dazs. But for some reason that can only be described as a major disruption in The Force, Haagen-Dazs didn't put out an egg nog this year. Quelle horreur! While my thighs may thank them, the rest of me is pouting.

Dreyer's, however, stood up and give us a Slow Churned light ice cream version. (Yes, they also did a full fat version. But it's a so-called "Fun Flavor," and we know how I feel about that...)

Anyway, it's only a week down to Christmas (and by proxy, two weeks to the end of egg nog season) and I am trying to get in as much 'nog as possible.

So, does this qualify as a decent application of egg nog? Let's find out...



First off, the smell is reassuring. It smells just like a freshly poured glass of the good stuff. But sadly, that is the highlight and it is all down hill from there. Yes, the smell is indeed a dead ringer for "real" egg nog. As for the flavor? Well, it's sort of like they tried to make a nutmeg-flavored wine cooler. And yes, that's every bit as bad as it sounds.

There's no custardy base. There's no vanilla sweetness. It's all spice...and a hint of what I can best call a faux-alcohol sensation of "warmth."

The flavor reminded me of egg nog only in the loosest possible sense. I am again going to fall back on nutmeg-flavored wine cooler as the best description. I couldn't finish my bowl, to tell you the truth.



The texture is perfectly smooth. Like the rest of the Slow Churned Light Ice Cream line, the mouthfeel is not the same as a full fat ice cream. You don't get that richness that coats your mouth. This is more like the texture of soft-serve. Airy and fluffy. But I happen to think that is the better way to go with light ice cream, and that is one of the things I think Dreyer's has nailed with the light line in general.

Too bad they've made such an unholy abomination of this particular flavor.



PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

Southern Comfort Vanilla Spice Egg Nog

I really loved the Southern Comfort Traditional Egg Nog, so when I saw that there was a second version, I had to try it.

The Vanilla Spice version is made with -- you guessed it -- vanilla, and spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and probably love. (Love is a spice, right?)




Well, if it's not, it should be...because I done loved me this h'yar egg nog! Just as in the Traditional version, the egg nog is thick and creamy. In terms of flavor, this version tastes as if the Traditional version had French kissed a delicious tub of vanilla frosting. Then as they kissed, the heavens sent down a dusty sprinkle of cinnamon rain.



This egg nog is sweeter than most, but it never crosses the line into "too sweet." It doesn't have the custardy quality the Traditional version has, but that's OK. It's simple and it's good. It almost reminds me of a liquid Loft House Sugar Cookie (but with added cinnamon).

If you want an egg nog that's different than the norm (but not pumpkin), this is great option.

Marvo loved it too when he reviewed it back in the olden days of 2006. You can read his review here.



PURCHASED FROM:

Albertsons Supermarket

Southern Comfort Egg Nog

In what many of you may find an odd twist, I am about to reveal one of what my eight-year-old nephew would refer to as my "deep dark secrets": I have never had spiked egg nog.

Why is that surprising or possibly a deep dark secret? Well, I have a publicly documented love of egg nog. Also, one of the many hats I wear is that of a bartender. With both of those facts in mind, you would think that somewhere along the line I would have had the grownup version of egg nog. But nooooooooo.

And I'm not exactly making the full leap here, either. Why not? Because Southern Comfort Egg Nog, while flavored with the essence of Southern Comfort liqueur, is non-alcoholic.

But believe me, it's all good...



The scent of the egg nog is spicy. There is definitely clove and vanilla. And a little cinnamon. It smells great.

It's a super-thick drink, which is nice, as I love egg nog when it's extra thick. The flavor is very creamy...again, with plenty of clove, especially in the beginning. Then the nutmeg that you would expect in egg nog kicks in. And I love the base, it has a fantastic liquid custard taste.



I've had Southern Comfort on more than one occasion...you know, purely for professional purposes, of course. But while there was definitely a little extra somethin' somethin' to this egg nog, I don't know that if I didn't see Southern Comfort on the label that I would have guessed that's what it was supposed to be. And you know what? I don't care! This is so good that it could be thickened with reindeer snot and I would still drink it (probably in embarrassingly large amounts). It really is just that delicious.

You want this. You really do.



PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

Alta Dena Holiday Egg Nog

Woo Hoo! the first egg nog of the year!
Yes, Gigi loves her some egg nog (and talking about herself in the third person!). My normal egg nog of choice in recent years has become Lactaid's version- but as much as I like that there really is no substitute for egg nog made with real dairy.

I know I have had Alta Dena's version in the past but it has been at least 5 years and even if it hadn't been that long- it's the first egg nog of the year! (clearly I need an egg nog intervention)

So how was it?
Very, very thick! I had forgotten how thick a good dairy egg nog could be. There is something really satisfying about the heavy, creamy mouth feel. Since the Alta Dena version has both milk and cream in it, that probably is it's own answer.

There is nice hearty nutmeg flavor with a nice cinnamon edge. There is even a pinch of ginger that adds just a little heat.

Just yum! this gets an 11!!
It's thick, rich, perfectly spiced. It's like Christmas in a cup.

PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket