Advocaat

A sweet lady emailed me the other day wondering if I could assist her with finding recipes for some typical Dutch beverages. That in itself is not so difficult, but when she mentioned they had to be alcohol-free....ah.....that was a bit tougher to do. We like our beverages, we do, but apparently we also like to spike 'm!

An old-fashioned, traditional and easy to make at home drink is advocaat. Presumably first known as a tropical colonial concoction made with avocados, upon return to the blistery Netherlands, people sought out a creamy replacement for the fatty fruit and chose egg yolks instead. Smart move! Somehow advocaat with creamed avocados doesn't sound as appetizing as eh...raw eggs. Okay. Never mind :-)

Advocaat is a thick, creamy sweet drink, more often eaten with a spoon than sipped, that is also popular as an ice cream topping, as a pie filling or flavorizer for whipped cream or ice cream. Advocaat as a drink, however, has an old-fashioned feel to it: it's considered an old people's drink, predominantly for "ladies-of-a-certain-age", as my friend Hans said, who like have it served with a dollop of whipped cream on top and eat it out of a dainty glass with a small spoon. Often, at birthdays or other celebrations,  an "advocaatje" is offered to the (older) ladies whereas the (older) men get a "borrel", a small glass of Dutch gin, jenever.

Advocaat is served and sold year-round. I never cared much for the store-bought version as it has a distinct aftertaste. However, this homemade advocaat is delightful: it's creamy, sweet, with a hint of brandy and smooth with that whipped cream. Maybe I'm slowly but surely reaching "advocaat"-age. If it is, it's surely something to look forward to!

With the plentiful offering of affordable eggs during the upcoming Easter season, you may want to take advantage of the egg avalanche and try this recipe. The advocaat will hold well while refrigerated and makes for an interesting and welcome present. In order to avoid any possible food safety issues, you may want to use pasteurized eggs or make sure the temperature of the advocaat reaches close to 160F before retiring it from the boiler.

Select a smooth brandy for advocaat

Advocaat
7 egg yolks
3 eggs
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of brandy
Pinch of salt

Mix the egg yolks, eggs and sugar in a mixer until foamy. Slowly pour in the brandy while you keep mixing. Get a double boiler going on the stove, pour the eggy mixture in the top and stir until the mixture thickens. Pay close attention to the heat: if the double boiler gets too hot, the eggs may curdle and the alcohol will dissipate.

After you've reached the desired thickness (you're looking for a pourable, thick puddinglike consistency), pour the advocaat in a clean jar or container and refrigerate it overnight, or serve it warm over ice cream or pancakes.

Makes approximately three cups of advocaat. Use the egg whites to make meringue or schuimpjes.