Eggnog Chiffon Pie

baked pastry shell
1/4 cup sugar
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 cups eggnog
2 slightly beaten egg yolks
1/4 cup rum
2 egg whites
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup whipping cream
caramel sauce

For filling, in a medium saucepan combine the sugar and gelatin. Add eggnog and egg yolks. Cook and stir till sugar and gelatin dissolve and mixture thickens slightly and bubbles. Cool 10 minutes; stir in rum. Chill till consistency of corn syrup; stir occasionally. Remove from refrigerator; let stand till partially set (consistency of unbeaten egg whites. Meanwhile, in a large mixer bowl beat egg whites till soft peaks form (tips curl). Gradually add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, beating till stiff peaks form (tips stand straight).

Fold egg whites into gelatin mixture. Beat whipping cream till soft peaks form. Fold cream into eggnog mixture. Chill till the mixture mounds when spooned; pile into baked pastry shell. Chill several hours or until set. About 1 hour before serving, prepare Caramel Filigree and drizzle atop pie. Pipe additional whipped cream around pie, if desired.

Caramel Filigree: In a heavy 1-quart saucepan heat 1/2 cup sugar over medium-low heat without stirring. When sugar begins to melt, heat and stir constantly till mixture is almost a medium caramel color (syrup will darken after removed from heat). Stir in a few drops of hot water. Let stand for 1 minute. Using a spoon quickly drizzle the caramelized sugar over the top of the pie till a web of caramel is built up.