Camp Eggnog
Powdered egg, milk powder, and honey warmed in a pot. A holiday drink that survives a pack.
- calories
- 330
- weight
- 2.6 oz
- cal / oz
- 127
- protein
- 14 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 6 min
- total time
- 8 min
- water
- 350 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Drink
- Dessert
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Backpacking
- Winter / snow
- Basecamp
- Vegetarian
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Whole milk powder | 1/3 cup | whole, not nonfat, or it comes out thin |
|---|---|---|
| Powdered whole egg | 2 tbsp | pasteurized, sold for baking |
| Honey | 2 tbsp | a squeeze packet or small bottle |
| Nutmeg | 1/4 tsp | |
| Cinnamon | 1/4 tsp | |
| Vanilla powder | 1/4 tsp | extract works but the alcohol flashes off |
| Salt | a pinch |
Method
- Put the milk powder, egg powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla powder, and salt in your pot. Add about 60 ml of cold water and stir it into a smooth paste. Lumps now are lumps forever.
- Add the remaining 290 ml of water and stir again.
- Heat on low, stirring constantly, until it steams and thickens slightly. Roughly five minutes.
- Do not let it boil. Boiling scrambles the egg and you get sweet soup with curds in it.
- Pull it off the heat, stir in the honey, and pour into a mug. Dust with more nutmeg if you carried extra.
The original is a custard: yolks blended with honey, hot milk tempered in a spoonful at a time, then cooked back down in the pan. None of that survives a trip. Fresh eggs and a half gallon of milk are not going in a pack, and tempering by headlamp with one spoon is a way to make scrambled eggs.
Powdered whole egg and whole milk powder do the same job dry. Because both go in cold and rehydrate together, there is no tempering step at all — the egg comes up to heat with the milk instead of hitting it. The only real rule is temperature. Hold it under a boil and it thickens smooth; let it rip and the protein sets into curds. Stir the paste first, keep the flame low, and pull it the moment it steams.
Packing
Combine every dry ingredient into one snack bag per serving at home. Honey rides in a squeeze packet. The whole thing is one bag and one packet per mug.
Variations
- A tablespoon of cocoa powder in the dry mix makes a passable nog-cocoa.
- Swap the milk powder for powdered coconut milk to go dairy-free; it will be thinner.
- A shot of bourbon at camp, poured in after the pot comes off the heat.
https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/food-wars-eggnog