Irish Coffee Pudding

Irish Coffee Pudding

Top 'o the evenin' to ya - is what you'll say when you taste your first spoonful of this creamy pudding! 
It's not for the faint-hearted, as the nectar of the Irish, whiskey, is a mighty presence. Ah, begorrah, we say it's but one evenin' of the year, so consider this puddin' a toast to all those Irish poets and yarn-spinners that've charmed the likes of ye and many others o' the many years, won't ye?

This recipe makes 4 generous servings 

Irish Coffee Pudding Ingredients: 
6 large eggs, separated 
1 cup granulated white sugar 
1 cup coffee, brewed strong 
1 1/2 ounces unflavored gelatin powder 
1/3 Irish whiskey (be there any other kind?) 
1 1/4 cup fresh whipping cream 
1 cup additional fresh whipping cream sweetened with 1 tablespoon of sugar 
1/4 cup crushed walnuts, optional

Equipment:
Soufflé or casserole dish 
Double boiler or stainless steel bowl over a saucepan 
Parchment paper, enough to circle the dish twice and rise 3” above it 
Clean glass jam jar or small jar to make a well in the pudding 
Knife to facilitate removal of the parchment paper

Directions: 
Brew the coffee and set aside off the heat.
Prepare a double boiler by heating up the water in the bottom pan and keeping it on simmer until you’re ready to use it. (You can place a stainless steel bowl over hot water if you don’t have a double boiler.)
In a large bowl beat together the egg yolks with the sugar until they become a thick mixture. 
Heat the brewed coffee in a sauce pan until hot but not boiling, then add the gelatin and stir until the gelatin dissolves. 
Slowly pour the coffee-gelatin mixture into the yolk-and-sugar mixture and stir lightly.

Pour this into the top pan of a double boiler and beat until the mixture thickens; about 8 to 10 minutes. 
Remove the double boiler from heat, and remove the top pan and set down on a counter to cool. 
While the mixture is cooling, put a couple trays of ice cubes into a large bowl.
When the mixture is cool, place the pan over the bowl of cracked ice and stir until it is smooth but not totally congealed.

In a medium size bowl, beat 1 1/4 cups cream. 
In a clean copper or glass bowl, beat up the egg whites until stiff. 
Line a soufflé dish with a double thickness of parchment paper; the paper should come up 3 inches above the top of the soufflé dish. 
When pudding mixture has cooled and is on the point of setting, fold in cream. 
Stir in the whiskey then fold in the well-beaten egg whites. 
Pour the fully incorporated mixture into the parchment-lined soufflé dish.

Lightly coat a clean glass jam jar or small bottle with canola or other mild oil and press it down into the center of the pudding. This will leave a space to place the sweetened cream when the pudding has fully set. Chill for several hours.

Stir the sugar into 1 cup of whipping cream. 
Remove the soufflé dish from the refrigerator and take off the paper collar from the dish by easing it out with a knife dipped in hot water. 
Carefully lift out the jar and fill the center of the pudding with the sweetened whipped cream. 
Garnish the top of pudding with the crushed nuts, as desired.