Deconstructing an old egg nog recipe

My mom makes a 4x batch of this old recipe every Christmas, which includes standing over the stove to stir it for an hour. I'm hoping to convert her to a sous vide version to save her some trouble.

In looking at her recipe, I'm curious what the whipped egg whites accomplish, specifically. Obviously it alters the texture. Perhaps a similar effect that the CS version achieves by using guar gum and carrageenan? Any insights appreciated.

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1/3 cup sugar

2 egg yolks

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 cups milk

2 egg whites

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat 1/3 cup sugar into egg yolks. Add salt; stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, till mixture coats spoon. Cool. Beat egg whites till foamy. Gradually add 3 tablespoons sugar, beating to soft peaks. Add to custard and mix thoroughly. Add vanilla. Chill at least 3-4 hours before serving. May be served with a spoonful of whipped cream and/or sprinkled with nutmeg. Number of servings: 6-8

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Brendan_Lee_56950

Interesting recipe there. The whites are there to lighten it up I assume, they're not cooked though which is interesting and I imagine that sitting for 3-4 hours would probably deflate all the work you put into whipping them.

Osa_Vera_Sophia_Smith_124858

Wow! Awesome recipe here! They're not cooked though which is interesting and it would probably deflate all the work you put into whipping them.

ttpoker

Whipped egg whites appears to be designed to be a replacement for the standard bulking agents such as corn starch, gelatin, or hydrocolloids; while keeping the result lighter than the heavy custard of a typical eggnog experience. As others have pointed out, I would have assumed the texture would deflate over the 3-4 hour chilling period.

I wouldn't bother converting this into a sous vide version, the heavy part of the labor cannot be replicated sous vide - thats the whipping of the egg whites. The only part that can be replicated sous vide is the heating of the milk & egg yolks - which would save some labor, but not enough to justify unless you were making many batches.