Irish Cream Pudding Parfait

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite... When Irish eyes are smiling...Our youngest grandson has a smile that lights a room and, at the ripe old age of two, has passed Blarney 101 with a proficiency that suggests he has an Irish soul. This year his treat on St. Patrick's Day will be lime Jello, but I thought it would be fun to post recipes for dishes I know he and our other grandsons will enjoy as they get older. So, I hope you're ready for a week of Irish treats, some of which are authentic and actually come from the old sod. The remainder are simply delicious and will be included because they reference Irish history or use an unmistakably Irish ingredient. I wanted to start with the most outrageous of the bunch. This parfait is expensive and fairly difficult to make. It also uses a lot of heavy cream that many of you will object to. All that being said, I think your time and money will be well-spent and those of you who try this in small portions will be really pleased. This is a keeper that is worth the occasional calorie splurge. The recipe I use came from News Canada and it is a simplified version of a dessert that was developed for Bailey's Irish Cream liqueur. Irish cream can easily be made at home and I've included a link below for those of you who would like to make your own. It is possible to replace some of the heavy cream used to make this parfait with light cream or half-and-half, but I don't recommend it. This was meant to be an extravagant once a year indulgence. There are other healthier treats coming later in the week for those of you find this dessert too rich. Here's how this pudding parfait is made.

Irish Cream Pudding Parfait...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of newscanada.com .

Ingredients:

Pudding

1-1/2 cups heavy cream, divided

3/4 cup Irish cream liqueur, divided

3/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar

6 egg yolks

Pecan Crunch

1-1/2 cups coarsely chopped toasted pecans

4 large oatmeal cookies, crumbled

1-1/3 cups toffee bits

Topping

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Pinch cinnamon

Directions:

1) To make pudding: Combine 1 cup heavy cream, 1/2 cup of liqueur, brown sugar and egg yolks in top of a double boiler. Place over a saucepan of simmering (not boiling) water; do not let bottom of bowl touch the water. Using an electric hand mixer, beat until mixture is thick enough to coat back of a wooden spoon, or until a thermometer registers 160 degrees F, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and continue to beat until cool; about 6 minutes. Mix in remaining liqueur. In a separate bowl, beat remaining whipping cream to form medium peaks. Fold into pudding mixture. Cover and chill for at least 6 hours and up to 2 days. Mixture will thicken as it chills.

2) To make pecan crunch: Combine pecans, oatmeal cookies and toffee bits in a bowl. Set aside.

3) To make topping: In a separate bowl, beat together whipping cream, vanilla and cinnamon to form medium peaks. Set aside.

4) To serve: Layer each of six dessert glasses with 1/4 cup of pudding and top each with 2 tablespoons of pecan crumble. Repeat layering once more. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and another 1 tablespoon of pecan crumble. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 hour before serving. Yield: 6 servings.