Mascarpone Cream Pie with Cranberry Glaze

This holiday-festive pie has an easy pecan shortbread cookie crust with an orange liqueur-spiked mascarpone filling topped with a zesty cranberry glaze.

Recipe Ingredients:

Crust:
6 tablespoons butter or margarine
7 ounces shortbread-type cookies, crumbled
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Filling:
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 (8-ounce) package mascarpone cheese, softened
2 teaspoons orange liqueur or fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cranberry Glaze:
1 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce
1/3 cup seedless blackberry jam
1 1/2 tablespoons orange liqueur or fresh orange juice
1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange rind

Garnish:
Orange rind strips

Cooking Directions:

1. For Crust: Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook 3 minutes or until golden brown. Stir in cookie crumbs and pecans. Press mixture into bottom and up sides of a lightly greased 9-inch tart pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 15 minutes or until golden brown; cool.
2. For Filling: Combine cornstarch and sugar in a medium saucepan; stir in cream. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly. Stir about 1/4 cup hot mixture into egg yolks; add to remaining hot mixture, and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Remove mixture from heat.
3. Stir in mascarpone cheese, liqueur, and vanilla until smooth. Pour into prepared crust. Spread 2/3 cup Cranberry Glaze over filling; chill 8 hours. Serve with remaining Berry Glaze. Garnish with orange rind strips, if desired.
4. For Cranberry Glaze: Cook all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring until cranberry sauce and jam melt. Strain mixture, discarding solids. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Makes 8 servings.