Christmas is upon us, and I am getting myself in the mood. I am listening to Christmas music as I write this article and thinking about all of the things that make Christmas feel like Christmas — you know, the holiday cookies, peppermint, fruitcakes and eggnog.

December is actually eggnog and fruitcake month. So, let’s take a look at both of these holiday treats.

Fruitcake

Fruitcakes are a holiday treat that people either love or love to hate — there doesn’t seem to be any in between. For those who enjoy this holiday tradition, there are many recipes out there if you want to make your own. Interestingly, those who make this spiced cake use the same recipe year after year — just because that cake suits their tastebuds.

When researching fruitcake, it’s suggested that the origin is English, but there seems to be some doubt. What sources did agree on were the characteristics. Fruitcake is traditionally a heavy spiced cake that includes lots of dried and/or candied fruits and nuts. In fact, there is not much batter in the recipe, just enough to hold the fruit and nuts together.

Baking time for fruitcakes is at a lower-than-normal temperature. Many recipes found were at 275-300 degrees. With this lower temperature comes a longer baking time, two-three hours is common when baking these cakes. Because of the longer time, it is recommended that a shiny or glass pan be used rather than a dark pan in order to reduce chances of getting the edges too dark.

Pans are usually lined with wax or parchment paper to make removal from the pans easier. Trust me, you can’t ignore this step. If you do, you may not end up with a whole cake, but pieces of one instead. Once you find the fruitcake recipe that you love, you will make it year after year.

Eggnog

Beware of drinking eggnog made with raw eggs during the holidays. Many older classic holiday recipes call for raw eggs. This cooking practice is not considered safe because of possible salmonella infection. Use only pasteurized eggs. Commercial pasteurization of eggs is a heat process at low temperatures that destroys salmonella that could be present, without having a noticeable effect on flavor or nutritional content.

The FDA advises consumers to start with a cooked egg base for eggnog. This is especially important if you are serving people that are at high risk for foodborne infections, such as young children, pregnant women, older adults and those with weakened immune systems.

When making the egg base, begin by combining eggs and half the milk indicated in the recipe. Other ingredients, such as sugar, may be added at this step. Cook the mixture gently to an internal temperature of 160 degrees, stirring constantly. The cooking will destroy salmonella if present. At this temperature, the mixture will firmly coat a metal spoon, but please don’t lick the spoon if the custard is not fully cooked.

After cooking, chill the mixture before adding the rest of the milk and other ingredients. Some people think that adding rum, whiskey or other alcohol to the recipe will make the eggnog safe. But if contaminated unpasteurized eggs are used in eggnog, you can’t count on the alcohol in the drink to kill all of the bacteria — that’s not likely to happen.

So, it is best to start with good quality ingredients for the best-finished product. This should always be the case when you are preparing food for you and your family.

I hope you will find time to enjoy your favorite holiday treats this year. Here is the link to a recipe for eggnog, just in case you want to try your hand at it this season:

http://www.incredibleegg.org/recipe/classic-cooked-eggnog/

 Toi N. Degree, Family & Consumer Education Agent with NC Cooperative Extension, 704-216-8970 or toi_degree@ncsu.edu).