Monday, December 1, 2008

Crème de Vié de Cris (Cuban Egg Nog - sort of)


We finally got Cris to teach us how to make her famous Crème de Vie (pronounced crehm deh vee or crehm deh vieh - it's supposed to be French!). She's been bottling this stuff and giving it as a Christmas goodie for years, and it is always very well received. Now she's decided to share the knowledge. She told us she's tried several recipes through the years and has taken elements from several until finally settling on this one.

After the lesson, we spent the afternoon enjoying pastelitos and other snacks. Cris had made a batch of Crème de Vie weeks ago so we were able to enjoy a glass or two. Everyone got a bottle of the fresh batch to take home and enjoy over the holidays.



Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
8 egg yolks
12 oz evaporated milk
14 oz condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ cups white rum
Ground nutmeg for garnish


This recipe makes 1 quart of Crème de Vie

Process

  1. Bring sugar and water to a rolling boil until the sugar dissolves and the syrup lightly coats a spoon. Set the syrup aside to cool.

  1. Separate and lightly whisk the egg yolks.

  1. Add the evaporated and condensed milks to the yolks and whisk.

  1. Add the vanilla and rum. Mix well.

  1. Slowly add the syrup to the egg mixture after ensuring the syrup has cooled. Mix well.

  1. Strain the mixture at least twice to ensure all solid pieces of sugar or egg are removed.

  1. Pour into bottles and let them sit for about an hour. Store in the refrigerator.

  1. NOTE: Cris recommends refrigerating the crème de vie for a minimum of three weeks, the longer it's stored the smoother it gets.
  1. Serve chilled in a liqueur glass or a small glass - a little goes a long way! Garnish with nutmeg if desired.

¡Buen provecho and feliz Navidad!

Do you have any traditional Christmas recipes to share?



11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanx for the recipe. I've made another version of this recipe about two years ago, and by checking by ingredients alone, this one may turn out to be a superior version, but I'm wondering if this recipe can turn out the same way or better as you guys put it together rather than this suggestion: to first do step 1 (the syrup), then combine the yolks and milks in a blender, then after adding the rum and vanilla to the mix, pour in a stream of the sugar syrup through the top opening...which I figure could give the creme a smoother mix with nothing staying behind...

Cristina said...

I don't know why I wisk v. blender all the recipies I read said wisk, so I did. Last night I made another batch and I used the blender. I didn't like the consistency. I think the blender maybe overmixes it. It wasn't as thick as when I use the wisk. Honestly, wisking it is quite simple, its simply to incorporate the ingredients. I guess like all things, its a matter of preference but now I know I like wisk v. blender.

Hilda said...

Acabo de descubrir este maravilloso blog y con tiempo estudiaré todas las recetas.
Enhorabuena por el trabajo que estais compartiendo.
Besos
Hilda

Anonymous said...

voy a tratar esta receta! Feliz ano nuevo!

CARMEN MIRANDA said...

AYUDENME POR FAVOR, QUIERO APRENDER A HACER ALINADO, ERA UNA BEBIDA QUE SE HACIA PARA BRINDAR LA LLEGADA DE UN BEBE. GRACIAS, CARMEN.

Vegaslily said...

Thanks I have been looking for this recipe.

Gracias,
Lyda

Anonymous said...

I always make sure that the sugar syrup is still warm-hot and mix it in very, very, slowly to help in making sure that the egg yolks are at least partially cooked to kill off any salmonilla.
Armando del Portillo/Miami, Fl

Anonymous said...

Cris, I have concerns over the egg yolk keeping fresh over 3 weeks. Is that healthy?

Cristina said...

About the raw egg issue. First a disclaimer: I don't know the science.
Second, just for the record, my family and I have been drinking this stuff for years and most of it stored in the fridge and aged for months not weeks and we are all fine. Third, I realize the recipe says the syrup is cool when we add it but its really warm. By cooled I meant cool enough that you don't scramble the eggs when you put it all together. So, I'm thinking the eggs do sorta cook some. Between the warm syrup and the booze that may be killing the bacteria. Here's a link I did find to an article that may make you feel better. Of course you could use pasteurized eggs and eliminate the risk completely. Hope this answered your question.

http://www.chow.com/food-news/53619/old-but-not-lethal/

Anonymous said...

Thanks! That did help.

Anonymous said...

I had never heard of creme de vie, although as I came from Cuba as a child there is much I missed learning. Could you share with us more information about the history and use of this drink? Sylvia