A Simply Grand Napoleon Dessert Food

NAPOLEON

Steps:

• Make puff pastry strips: Lightly flour a clean work surface. Using a rolling pin, gently roll out dough into a 16-by-18-inch rectangle about 1/8 inch thick, being careful not to press too hard around the edges. Using a pastry wheel or sharp knife, cut rectangle crosswise into thirds, with each strip 6 by 16 inches. Transfer to a baking sheet; dock, or pierce, the dough all over with a fork. Cover with plastic wrap; place in refrigerator 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Transfer to oven; bake until strips are puffed and golden all over, about 14 minutes. Set a baking sheet directly on pastry strips, and continue baking until pastry is cooked through and well browned, about 6 minutes. Remove top baking sheet; bake 4 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Using a serrated knife, trim each to 4 1/4 by 12 inches.
• Make the glaze: In a small saucepan, bring heavy cream just to a boil. Place dark chocolate in a bowl, and pour hot cream over chocolate; whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is combined. Whisk in corn syrup. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl.
• Place white chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk until chocolate is melted, and remove from heat. Let cool.
• Using an offset spatula, spread dark chocolate glaze over one side of the flattest puff pastry strip, making sure to coat entire surface. Place white chocolate in a piping cone; pipe thin lines 3/4 inch apart across width of chocolate-coated strip. To create the distinctive flourish, gently drag the tip of a paring knife or a skewer lengthwise through both coatings, in lines perpendicular to the white chocolate lines. Begin at one of the short ends, and make each line 3/4 inch apart. Alternate the direction each time.
• Place one of the unglazed puff pastry strips on a serving tray. Spread half the pastry cream over the top, leaving a 1/2-inch border all around. Top with remaining unglazed pastry strip; press down gently, and repeat with remaining pastry cream. Top with glazed pastry strip. Transfer to refrigerator, and chill 30 minutes uncovered. Using a long serrated knife, cut into six pieces, and serve.

NAPOLEON DESSERT | MILLE FEUILLE CREAM PASTRY

Steps:

• Thaw the puff pastry according to the package directions.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (204.4 degrees C) and cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Unfold both sheets of pastry and divide each into thirds by cutting along the fold lines, giving you 6 rectangles of pastry. Lay the rectangles on the parchment covered baking sheet, spacing them about 1/4-inch apart.
• Cover the pastry with another sheet of parchment paper and lay another baking sheet on top. This will prevent the puff pastry from rising too much and give the pastry nice, flaky layers.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes. Remove the top baking sheet and the top layer of parchment and bake for another 5-10 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. (*Please read the note below abotu preventing your puff pastry from burning.)
• Remove from the oven and let cool completely before assembly.
• Lay one sheet of baked puff pastry on a serving dish and spread about a 1/2-inch thick layer of pastry cream evenly over the top. Layer another rectangle of pastry over the cream, repeat with another 1/2-inch thick layer of pastry cream and top with a third pastry rectangle. Press on the top of the Napoleon slightly just to evenly distribute the layers.
• Repeat with the remaining pastry rectangles and pastry cream. Cover the Napoleons with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. (*See note below.)
• Dust the tops of each Napoleon with a thick layer of powdered sugar right before serving.
• Slice each Napoleon into 6 slices, using a serrated knife.

MILLE FEUILLE (NAPOLEON PASTRY SHEETS)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with a silicone sheet.
• Separate dough at the seams into 4 squares and place on prepared baking sheet. Score the dough all over with the tines of a fork to prevent it from rising too much when baking. Lightly sprinkle dough sheets with white granulated sugar.
• Cover with a sheet of parchment paper and 3 sheets of aluminum foil. Nest another baking sheet on top to apply some pressure to the dough while it bakes.
• Bake in preheated oven 15 minutes; remove top pan and foil and gently peel off the parchment paper. Return pan to oven and bake until pastry is beautifully browned, 10 to 15 minutes. (Optionally, you can bake about 7 minutes after uncovering, then flip sheets over and bake until brown on the other side, another 7 minutes.)
• Transfer to cooling rack and cool completely before cutting.
• Square the sheets by trimming uneven edges off sheets using a sharp serrated knife with light sawing motion to keep the pastry from breaking. Cut each rectangle crosswise into 3 equal smaller rectangles. Use 3 small rectangles per pastry.

CLASSIC FRENCH NAPOLEON RECIPE - (3.9/5)

Steps:

• PUFF PASTRY: Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or plain brown paper; set aside. Unfold puff pastry sheet and trim edges to a 9-inch square. Cut pastry into nine 3-inch squares. Transfer pastry squares to the prepared baking sheets; prick pastry. Bake in a preheated oven for 18-23 minutes, or until golden. (Or bake according to package directions.) Carefully remove pastries from baking sheet. Cool on a rack. CREAM FILLING: In a heavy, medium saucepan stir together sugar, flour, and salt. Slowly stir in half-and-half or light cream. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more. Slowly stir about half of the hot mixture into beaten egg yolks. Return all to saucepan. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Transfer mixture to a bowl. Cover surface with plastic wrap and cool just until warm without stirring. In a small mixing bowl beat whipping cream until soft peaks form. Fold whipped cream into warm pastry cream. GLAZE: In a medium mixing bowl combine confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Stir in enough boiling water to make a glaze of spreading consistency; set aside. ASSEMBLY: Use the tines of a fork to separate each pastry square horizontally into 3 layers. Note: If Using Fruit Jam or Preserves: Spread about 1 teaspoon of the raspberry or strawberry jam or preserves on each bottom layer. Spread about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the pastry cream over raspberry preserves or if not using a layer of fruit jam or preserves, spread about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the pastry cream on the bottom layer and preceed as follows: Top with middle pastry layers. Spread another 1 1/2 tablespoons of the pastry cream on each middle layer. Finally, top with remaining pastry layers. Spread glaze over top of napoleons, then drizzle with melted chocolate. Chill up to 1 hour.

SIMPLY NAPOLEONS

Steps:

• 1. In a large bowl, combine milk and pudding; beat with a wire whisk for 2 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Add peanut butter; mix well. Stir in whipped topping; set aside. In a 9- x 13-inch baking dish, layer one-third of the graham crackers and half the pudding mixture. Repeat layers and top with remaining graham crackers. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate chips and butter, and microwave 2 minutes, or until mixture is completely melted. Stir then spread immediately over graham crackers. In a small bowl, make a glaze by combining confectioners' sugar and water; stir until smooth. Spoon mixture into a resealable plastic storage bag. Snip the corner of the bag and use to draw lines on the top. Chill at least 8 hours before serving.

A SIMPLY GRAND NAPOLEON DESSERT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 cold pastry sheet to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut six 4 ½ - 5 inch circles (I used a pint-size plastic container with a 4 ½ inch diameter and the circles shrank to a 3 ½ inch diameter).
• Gently transfer cut pastry circles onto parchment lined baking sheet & brush with an egg wash of 1 egg mixed with 1 tbsp water.
• Bake until pastry circles are light golden brown (approx 10 min, but watch as cooking times may vary).
• Remove from oven, allow to cool, gently transfer circles to an airtight storage container and set aside.
• Place crushed pineapple and chopped orange segments in a fine sieve and allow to drain of liquid until you see no continued active dripping. Transfer mixture to a bowl, add 1 tbsp Grand Mariner, mix well and refrigerate 1 hour to allow flavors to blend.
• Return fruit mixture to fine sieve and press with the flat of a large spoon to remove all liquid. Discard or reserve liquid for another use.
• Combine the softened Mascarpone cheese with the light brown sugar, coconut milk, 1 tbsp Grand Marnier, pineapple/orange mixture and 2 oz coconut. Refrigerate until ready to assemble desserts.
• To Assemble Desserts:.
• Split each of the 6 pastry circles in half as evenly as possible using a sharp knife. Using a pastry brush, brush the inside surface of 6 circles and the top surface of the other 6 circles with the remaining 2 tbsp of Grand Marnier.
• Gently spread blended cheese mixture over 8 of the pastry circles, stack them in groups of 2 and top with 4 of the browned circles.
• Garnish the top circle of each dessert with the orange zest and remaining 2 oz of coconut. (May also top with a dollop of any excess cheese mixture and then garnish with the orange zest & coconut) Serve immediately.

DESSERT NAPOLEAN

Steps:

• Cut tortillas into triangle shapes and place into 325 degree oil and fry until golden brown. While still hot dust with cinnamon sugar; set aside. Take 2 containers of raspberries and puree.
• Place egg yolks in a double boiler and whisk until yolks ribbon and turn pale yellow. Add 2 ounces white sugar and Marsala and whisk until all sugar dissolves and Marsala is incorporated. Hold warm.
• Ladle Sabayon onto base of plate. Place 1 tortilla on top and cover with fruits. Add another tortilla, top with fruit and so on. Top with sabayon and raspberry sauce. Garnish with a rosette of whipped cream, mint leaf and reserved container of raspberries.

VANILLA CREAM NAPOLEONS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. Lightly spray 2 cookie sheets with cooking spray. On lightly floured surface, unfold pastry sheets. Cut each sheet into 3 strips along fold marks. Place on cookie sheet; prick lightly with fork all over strips. Repeat with remaining pastry sheet and second cookie sheet.
• Bake about 5 minutes. Prick surfaces of pastries with fork to prevent pastries from rising too much during baking. Bake 10 minutes longer or until golden brown. Remove pastries from cookie sheets; cool 10 to 15 minutes.
• In large bowl, beat pudding mix, 2 cups milk, vanilla and sour cream with electric mixer on medium speed until soft pudding forms. Cover; refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes.
• In small bowl, stir powdered sugar and 3 teaspoons milk. If icing is too thick, stir in another teaspoon milk until spreadable consistency.
• On 1 pastry layer, spread about 3/4 cup pudding. Repeat with another pastry layer and 3/4 cup pudding. Top with third pastry layer. Spread icing over top. Set aside. Repeat to make second dessert with remaining pastries, pudding and icing.
• In microwavable small bowl, microwave chocolate chips uncovered on High about 30 seconds or until chocolate can be stirred smooth. Drizzle chocolate back and forth across top of each dessert. Drag toothpick through chocolate and icing to create marbled appearance.
• Cut desserts into 2-inch slices. Cover; refrigerate until ready to serve.

NAPOLEONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Roll out three sheets of puff pastry, each to the same size and a thickness of 1/8 inch. Prick with a fork, and place on baking sheets.
• Bake in preheated oven until golden, about 10 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, combine cornstarch and 1/2 cup milk with fingers until smooth. Stir in cake flour and half the sugar. Beat in egg yolks. Set aside.
• In a saucepan over medium heat, bring remaining milk and remaining sugar to a rolling boil. Stir in egg yolk mixture; continue stirring and bring to a boil again. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Let cool.
• In a small saucepan or in the microwave, heat the jam until runny.
• Place one sheet of pastry on a board. Spread with cooled pastry cream to a thickness of 1/2 inch. Place a second pastry sheet over the cream. Brush with fruit glaze. Spread remaining pastry cream over glaze. Top with final pastry sheet and gently compress layers, using a baking sheet to press.
• To make icing, beat together confectioners' sugar and lemon juice with enough of the egg whites to make a creamy consistency like that of a cream soup. Working quickly, color a small portion of the frosting with red food coloring. Frost the top and sides of the assembled pastry with white icing. Pipe parallel lines of red icing on top of dessert, then draw a pick or knife crosswise through icing to make the traditional design. Let icing set before cutting into bars.