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Ajerkoniak – Polish Egg Liqueur – Dessert Sauce

June 5, 2011 by Lois Britton 9 Comments

Every time I visit my friend, Elżbieta, I learn a new dish.  During my last visit, we put a very thick Ajerkoniak (sounds like ayer-cognac and translates to eggnog) on our desserts.

Ajerkoniak

This thick version of the liqueur was so rich and yummy – different from anything else I can think of.  The closest thing I could name would be the brandy butter than my mom puts on plum pudding at Christmas.  I had to try making this at home.  I can imagine putting this on all kind of baked goods or ice cream.

Ajerkoniak

Now that I’ve done all that gushing, I have to tell you that this recipe makes me, as an American cook, a little nervous.  It has egg yolk and milk, and the finished product is not to be refrigerated.  That’s what Elżbieta told me, and when Ed mentioned to two guys as the base that I was going to make this, they both said, “whatever you do, don’t put it in the refrigerator.  It will turn into a brick.”  Since the mixture is cooked, and the spirits added are so high in alcohol, I’m going to trust the advise of experienced Polish cooks, and keep this in sterile jars in the cupboard.  I’ll let you decide for yourself.

 

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Ajerkoniak – Polish Egg Liqueur – Dessert Sauce

  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Category: Sause
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

A boozy sauce, perfect over a simple cake or ice cream


Ingredients

Scale
  • 8 egg yolks
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 can of evaporated milk (about 1 1/3 cups)
  • 3/4 cups spirytus (grain alcohol, 95% or 190 proof)
  • 1/4 cup brandy
  • 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Combine yolks and sugar in a bowl.
  2. Heat milk until just about to boil.
  3. Add 2 tablespoons hot milk to egg mixture while whisking. Continue adding very small amounts of hot milk to egg mixture until all milk is incorporated.
  4. Sit the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 70 C or 160 F.
  5. Remove the bowl from the saucepan. Place plastic wrap directly on top of the egg mixture, and allow it to cool to room temp.
  6. Stir in remaining ingredients.
  7. Store in clean jars until ready to use.

Notes

I was a worried that my Ajerkoniak would be too thin after I added the booze, but it magically jelled giving me the thick creamy sauce I was after.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @PolishHousewife on Instagram and hashtag it #polishhousewife

 

Lois Britton

An accountant by trade and a food blogger since 2009, Lois Britton fell in love with Polish cuisine during the years she lived in Poznań, Poland. As the creator of PolishHousewife.com,  she connects readers with traditional Polish recipes. Lois has a graduate certificate in Food Writing and Photography from the USF. She is the author of The Polish Housewife Cookbook, available on Amazon and on her website.

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Filed Under: Dessert, Polish, Polish Desserts, Polish Pantry

Previous Post: « Elderflower Liqueur and Elderflower Syrup
Next Post: Swedish Pear and Almond Cream Cake »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Vicki

    June 5, 2011 at 9:58 pm

    The name egg liqueur had me completely puzzled but after reading, it sounds delicious. Bet it would be lovely over Rose’s gingerbread cake.

    Reply
  2. Lois B

    June 5, 2011 at 10:23 pm

    Would be perfect on the gingerbread cake- thanks for mentioning it!

    Reply
  3. Mark

    December 13, 2016 at 8:47 pm

    When I was an exchange student in Poland in the 70s this was one of the real treats in a society of food shortages. It was poured over a scoop of simple vanilla ice cream. Delicious.

    Reply
    • polishhousewife

      December 15, 2016 at 1:54 pm

      Poles know how to eat well, even in times of scarcity! Thanks for sharing the memory!

      Reply
  4. Matsukasa

    October 3, 2020 at 10:02 am

    Ever hear of Advocaat? Same idea. It doesn’t go bad.

    Reply
    • polishhousewife

      October 3, 2020 at 10:50 am

      Yes, I had that ages ago. Very similar, this is just thicker.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. English Dried Fruit Cake - Polish Housewife says:
    December 8, 2014 at 3:01 am

    […] I’ll be making another one for our famiy at Christmas. Ed suggested adding a Polish favorite, Ajerkoniak, to serve with the fruit cake, and I think that’s a great […]

    Reply
  2. Sausage in a Jar (Biała Kiełbasa w Słoikach) - Polish Housewife says:
    April 9, 2017 at 7:30 pm

    […] cellar for months. A long way from modern refrigeration. I faced a similar challenge when I made ajerkoniak. When putting bacteria up against grain alcohol, I trusted the Polish advice and left it in the […]

    Reply
  3. Pear Crumble Coffee Cake - Polish Housewife says:
    April 12, 2018 at 9:59 am

    […] we were having this at home for dessert, it could be dressed up with a dollop of ajerkoniak, a boozy Polish custard. I also thing that my next batch will include a small package of marzipan […]

    Reply

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