Cranberry Custard
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup sugar, divided
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons cranberry liqueur or brandy
1½ teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1 cup whole milk
3 large egg yolks
1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream
Lemon-Ginger Custard
3 tablespoons water
¾ teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1½ cups chilled heavy whipping cream
4 ounces Philadelphia-brand cream cheese, room temperature
⅔ cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon minced crystallized ginger
8 crystallized ginger slices
8 fresh or frozen cranberries
CRANBERRY CUSTARD: Simmer 2 cups cranberries, ½ cup sugar, lemon juice, and lemon peel in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until cranberries are very soft and break down, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes. Puree cranberry mixture in processor until smooth; strain into large bowl and cool.
Place cranberry liqueur in small cup. Sprinkle gelatin over and let stand until gelatin softens, about 15 minutes.
Bring milk to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Whisk egg yolks and remaining ½ cup sugar in medium bowl to blend; gradually whisk in hot milk. Return mixture to same saucepan and stir over medium-low heat until custard thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 6 minutes (do not boil). Remove from heat and add gelatin mixture. Stir until gelatin dissolves.
Stir custard into cranberry mixture. Chill until cool but not set, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
Using electric mixer, beat cream in another large bowl until peaks form. Fold cream into cranberry mixture in 2 additions. Set cranberry custard aside at room temperature while preparing lemon custard.
LEMON-GINGER CUSTARD: Place 3 tablespoons water in small saucepan. Sprinkle gelatin over and let stand until gelatin softens, about 15 minutes. Stir over low heat until gelatin dissolves. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
Using electric mixer, beat cream in medium bowl until peaks form. Using same beaters, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and lemon juice in another large bowl until smooth. Mix in lemon peel and minced ginger. Stir ⅓ of cream cheese mixture into gelatin mixture. Return gelatin mixture to bowl with cream cheese mixture and beat to combine. Immediately fold in whipped cream in 2 additions.
Spoon ¼ cup cranberry custard into each of eight 10- to 12-ounce glasses. Top cranberry custard in each wineglass with ¼ cup lemon custard, then ¼ cup cranberry custard. Spoon remaining lemon custard into pastry bag fitted with large star tip. Pipe large rosette of lemon custard atop each. Garnish each parfait with 1 crystallized ginger slice and 1 cranberry. Refrigerate parfaits until set, about 4 hours.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.
Working with GelatinGelatin is a versatile thickening agent. It is simple to use, as long as you follow two key steps. First, it must be softened by sprinkling it over a small amount of cold liquid, often water, and letting it stand at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes. Once the gelatin is softened, it will look translucent and spongy and most of the liquid will be absorbed. Then, the mixture needs to be heated to dissolve the gelatin. This can be achieved by placing the dish with the softened gelatin into ½ inch of simmering water in a small skillet and stirring it until the granules dissolve into a clear liquid. Or add the softened gelatin to very hot liquid, such as milk or juice, then stir it until it dissolves. The gelatin is then ready to be added to other ingredients.
Zabaglione (or in French, sabayon), the airiest of all custards, is made by beating egg yolks, wine, and sugar in a bowl over simmering water. Here, that mixture is enhanced with some whipped cream, becoming a sophisticated sauce. And instead of wine, the liquor is Tuaca—a sweet citrus- and vanilla-flavored Italian liqueur. If you can’t find it, Grand Marnier or any other orange liqueur would make a fine substitute. 6 servings
Pears
2 tablespoons (¼ stick) unsalted butter
2¼ pounds firm but ripe pears (about 6 small), peeled, cored, cut into ½-inch cubes
¼ cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup Pinot Grigio or other dry white wine
½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise
Zabaglione
8 large egg yolks
½ cup sugar
6 tablespoons Tuaca liqueur
2 tablespoons plus 1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Powdered sugar
PEARS: Melt butter in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add pears; sauté 1 minute. Add both sugars and wine and toss until sugar dissolves. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Cook until pears are tender and juices in skillet form thick syrup, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Cool. Discard vanilla bean.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.
ZABAGLIONE: Whisk egg yolks, sugar, Tuaca, and 2 tablespoons cream in large metal bowl to blend well. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water. Using electric mixer, beat yolk mixture constantly until zabaglione thickens and thermometer inserted into center registers 140°F for 3 minutes, about 7 minutes total. Place metal bowl in larger bowl of ice and water. Whisk occasionally until zabaglione is cool, about 3 minutes.
Using electric mixer, beat remaining 1 cup cream and cinnamon in medium bowl until peaks form. Fold whipped cream into cool zabaglione in 3 additions. Chill until cold.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.
Divide pears among 6 dessert glasses. Spoon zabaglione over pears. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.
Brandy, rum, and nutmeg give classic tiramisù an eggnog twist; presenting it in a glass trifle dish makes it a showoff holiday dessert. As with all trifles, it’s best to make this a day ahead to allow all the flavors to mingle. 16 to 18 servings
1⅓ cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1¼ cups water, divided
¼ cup plus 1 teaspoon dark rum
4 tablespoons brandy, divided
12 large egg yolks
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 8-ounce containers mascarpone cheese
2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 ½ teaspoons instant espresso powder or instant coffee powder
7 tablespoons Kahlúa or other coffee liqueur
2 6.15-ounce boxes or four 3.5-ounce boxes crisp ladyfingers (about 60 cookies)