Reduced-Sugar Phyllo Napoleons with Eggnog Cream

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, stevia, cornstarch, nutmeg, and salt. Add the egg yolks and whisk until the mixture is smooth. (2 minutes)

In a medium saucepan, bring the milk to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Gradually whisk about half of the hot milk into the yolk mixture to temper the eggs, then pour the warmed yolk mixture back into the remaining milk in the saucepan. (3 minutes)

Return the saucepan to medium heat and cook, stirring constantly with a whisk, until the cream thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. This should take just a few minutes. (5-7 minutes)

Strain the thickened pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean medium bowl to ensure a silky-smooth texture. Stir in the cold butter and dark rum until the butter is fully melted and incorporated. (2 minutes)

Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight, until thoroughly chilled and firm. (120 minutes)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). (10 minutes)

In a small bowl, combine the sugar and stevia for the phyllo layers. (1 minute)

Unroll the thawed phyllo dough on a flat surface. Cover the stack of phyllo with a dry kitchen towel, then a damp kitchen towel to prevent it from drying out as you work. (2 minutes)

Place one sheet of phyllo dough in front of you. Brush it lightly with melted butter and sprinkle evenly with the sugar-stevia mixture. Top with another sheet of phyllo, brush with butter, and sprinkle with the sugar-stevia mixture. Repeat this layering process until you have 8 layers of phyllo. Brush the top layer with butter and sprinkle with the sugar-stevia mixture. (15 minutes)

Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the layered phyllo lengthwise in half to create two long rectangles. Then, cut each rectangle crosswise every 2 inches to form smaller rectangles. (5 minutes)

Carefully transfer as many of the phyllo rectangles as possible to a large baking sheet, leaving a small space between each one. Place another baking sheet of the same size on top of the phyllo rectangles, pressing them gently between the two sheets. This will help them bake evenly and prevent them from puffing up too much. (5 minutes)

Bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 16 minutes, or until the phyllo is golden brown and crisp. (12-16 minutes)

Remove the baking sheets from the oven and carefully transfer the baked phyllo rectangles to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat the layering, cutting, baking, and cooling process with any remaining phyllo dough. (20 minutes)

In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Be careful not to overbeat. (5 minutes)

Remove the chilled pastry cream from the refrigerator and stir it gently until smooth. Then, gently fold in the whipped cream until just combined. Be careful not to deflate the whipped cream. (3 minutes)

To assemble the Napoleons, arrange one-third of the cooled phyllo rectangles on a clean countertop. Spread a generous layer of the eggnog pastry cream over each rectangle, then top with another phyllo rectangle. Spread another layer of pastry cream over the phyllo, and finish with a final phyllo rectangle. You should have 3 phyllo layers and 2 pastry cream layers per Napoleon. (15 minutes)

Just before serving, dust each Napoleon with a fine grating of fresh nutmeg. Serve immediately and enjoy the crispy, creamy delight! (2 minutes)