Napoleon Crèmes Food

NAPOLEON CREAMS

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan over low heat or in the microwave, combine 1/2 cup margarine or butter, cocoa, sugar and the vanilla extract.
• Stir until margarine melts.
• Add the egg.
• Stir until thickened, about 3 minutes.
• Add graham crackers and coconut, mix well.
• Press into a greased 9x9 pan, I use cooking spray.
• Cream 1/2 cup margarine, milk, pudding mix, and powdered sugar.
• Beat until fluffy.
• Spread over crust.
• Chill until firm.
• Melt semi sweet morsels and 2 tablespoons margarine.
• Cool slightly.
• Spread over pudding layer.
• Chill until set.
• Cut into small bars to serve.

NAPOLEON CREMES

Steps:

• Butter a 9-inch square pan.
• In top of a double boiler: combine 1/2 c butter, sugar, cocoa, vanilla. Cook over simmering water until the butter is melted. Stir in the slightly beaten egg.
• Continue cooking, stirring, until the mixture is thick (about 3 minutes). Blend in crumbs and coconut.
• Press the mixture in the prepared pan.
• In a bowl, cream 1/2 cup of butter. Stir in milk, pudding mix, and confectioners sugar. Beat until light and fluffy.
• Spread mixture evenly over the crust mixture in the pan.
• Chill until firm.
• In a double boiler, melt chocolate, 2 tbsp butter and paraffin. Cool, spread over pudding layer. Chill.
• Cut into 2 x 3/4 inch bars.

NAPOLEONS

Steps:

• On a lightly floured surface roll out the pastry to 1/16-inch thick. Transfer pastry to a parchment-lined sheet pan and trim edges. With a fork prick surface all over and chill for 30 minutes. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Cover pastry with a second piece of parchment paper and weight down with a second sheet pan. Bake pastry for 10 minutes. Remove top sheet pan and parchment and continue to bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer pastry to a cooling rack.
• Make the filling: In a heavy saucepan combine the heavy cream, milk, and sugar. Using a knife scrape the seeds of the vanilla bean into the milk mixture and add the whole bean. Bring to a boil. Remove pan from heat and allow to steep for one hour. Discard the bean or reserve for another use.
• Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees. Whisk the yolks into the cooled milk mixture and strain through a fine sieve into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Place the dish in a larger roasting pan and add enough hot water to reach halfway up the side of the dish. Bake custard for 3/4 to 1 hour until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. let cool; cover and chill for several hours or overnight. To assemble: Transfer pastry to a flat surface. Using a ruler measure out three 3 1/2 x 11-inch strips. With a serrated knife carefully cut the pastry using a gentle sawing motion. With a paring knife cut the custard into two 3 1/2 x 11-inch strips and cut each strip in half crosswise. With a long, wide offset spatula transfer a piece of custard onto a strip of pastry, covering half of it. Transfer a second piece of custard to fill the first layer. Top with a second strip of pastry, smooth side up, and repeat process. If necessary, smooth the sides of the napoleon with a knife so that they are stacked neatly.
• Using a serrated knife carefully slice the napoleon into individual serving pieces. Sift confectioner's sugar over the napoleon to form a thick coating. Heat skewers on stovetop burner until red-hot and brand the sugar with cross hatch marks.
• Recommended drink: 1993 Passito di Pantelleria, Nuova Agricoltura

STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB NAPOLEONS WITH CREME FRAICHE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Unfold the pastry sheet on your work surface. If the pastry sticks a bit, dust with some flour. Roll the dough out to about a 10-inch square. Cut the square into 4 (5-inch) squares, then cut these in half diagonally to make 8 triangles. Evenly sprinkle all the triangles with the 2 tablespoons sugar. Put the triangles, sugar-side up, on the baking sheet. Pop in the oven and bake until nicely puffed and golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool. Slice in half horizontally (a serrated knife is best for this job).
• Put a halved triangle on your serving plate. Spread some Strawberry-Rhubarb filling on top, stack another halved triangle and more filling on top of that and repeat to make 4 layers total. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with more sauce on the side. Scoop some Creme Fraiche Ice Cream alongside. Serve the napoleons immediately.
• Whisk the sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl, making sure there are no lumps. Add the rhubarb, sugar-cornstarch mixture, orange zest and juice and half the strawberries to a saucepan. Give it a good stir. Let this mixture sit about 15 minutes off the heat so it macerates (gets nice and juicy). Then put the pan over medium-high heat and let cook until the rhubarb is tender but still holds its shape, giving it a stir now and then, about 7 minutes. Let it cool for about 15 minutes, and then stir in the rest of the strawberries.
• Pour the milk into a large bowl, add the 2 tablespoons lemon juice and let it sit for a couple of minutes.
• Add the creme fraiche, the remaining 1/3 cup lemon juice and the sugar. Give it a whisk until thoroughly combined. Pour into an ice cream maker and churn as per the manufacturer's instructions, then pop in the freezer until it's firm.

ROUGH PUFF NAPOLEONS WITH LEMON CREAM AND BERRIES

Steps:

• For the rough puff: Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and use a pastry cutter or your hands to cut or rub the butter into the flour until it is covered with flour and resembles chunky wet sand. There should still be chunks of butter visible in your mixture -- do not overwork.
• Add the cold water slowly and start to mix until the dough comes together. It will still be quite shaggy and crumbly.
• Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and dump the dough in the center. Wrap the dough tightly, pressing down firmly to help compress and form it into a square. Allow the dough to rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day.
• Put the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out to approximately a 10-by-16-inch rectangle. (You should still see butter marbled in the dough.) Using a letter-folding technique, fold the top third down and bring the bottom third up, folding over the center like a letter. Turn the dough one-quarter and roll out again to three times its length. If the dough is too soft, chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. After rolling, repeat the letter fold a second time. Cut the dough in half to make 2 squares. Wrap each in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• Roll out 1 piece of the chilled dough into a 1/4-inch-thick-square (or slightly thinner). Trim the edges so they are even and cut into nine 2-by-4-inch rectangles. Move the dough rectangles to one of the prepared baking sheets and chill for 20 minutes. Repeat the rolling, cutting and chilling process with the remaining piece of dough.
• Dust the dough rectangles lightly with confectioners' sugar and place a second piece of parchment on top. Top with a second baking sheet to control the rise of the dough.
• Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the top baking sheet and parchment paper and continue baking until deep golden brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer the pastry pieces to a wire rack to cool completely.
• For the lemon cream: Bring the lemon juice to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Whisk together the lemon zest, sugar, eggs and egg yolk in a small bowl. When the lemon juice begins to simmer, temper the egg mixture by adding a small amount of hot liquid to the eggs while constantly whisking. Add the warmed egg mixture back to the pot and continue to cook over medium heat, whisking continuously. When the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, strain the curd through a fine-mesh strainer into a medium bowl. Finish by whisking the butter into the hot curd. Cool completely in the refrigerator.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add heavy cream and powdered sugar and whip to soft peaks.
• Fold the cooled lemon curd into the whipped cream, taking care not to deflate the mixture too much. Scoop the lemon cream into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip and keep refrigerated until ready to use.
• For the blueberry coulis: Add the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice and 1/4 cup water to a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to make sure the sugar dissolves. Continue to boil for 10 minutes, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Strain the coulis through a fine-mesh strainer and cool completely.
• To build the Napoleons, drizzle the blueberry coulis onto a plate. Pipe the lemon cream onto one pastry rectangle from end to end. Top with a second piece of pastry and repeat the piping with lemon cream. Top with a third piece of pastry and pipe one more layer of lemon cream. Garnish with fresh blueberries and raspberries.

CITRUS CREME BRULéE NAPOLEON

Steps:

• Cut the puff pastry into strips about 2 inches wide and 6 inches long--score and allow to rest for at least 20 minutes in the fridge.
• Combine the 1 egg and 1 egg yolk to create a egg wash.
• Brush the puff pastry with the egg wash and dust with powdered sugar, Bake in a 350°F- 400°F oven until golden brown and 'puffed'.
• Allow puff to cool then slice in half through the center of the puff, creating a puff 'sandwich'.
• Remove the zest from the orange; split and scrape the vanilla bean.
• In a thick-bottom sauce pot scald the cream, orange zest, and vanilla bean together.
• In a bowl combine the sugar and 5 egg yolks together.
• Temper the hot cream mixture into the egg/ sugar mixture the return to the sauce pan.
• Cook the creme until nape` (it coats the back of a wooden spoon).
• Place into a casserole dish/hotel pan of any size that will allow there to be a layer of creme brulée on the bottom about 1 inch thick.
• Back in a 350°F oven in a water bath until firm (jiggles only slightly when the pan is shaken). Remove from the water bath and allow to cool.
• To assemble: Place the bottom half of a puff 'sandwich' on a plate.
• Using a thin spatula place a layer of the creme brulée onto the puff (it doesn't have to look pretty as we'll be covering it soon).
• On top of the creme brulée place a single layer of roasted fruit, so that the wedges overhang the creme brulée on either side.
• Place the top of the puff pastry on and dust with powdered sugar.

NAPOLEON CREMES

Steps:

• In a double boiler, combine 1/2 cup butter, sugar, cocoa and vanilla; cook and stir until butter is melted. Add egg; cook and stir until mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Stir in crumbs and coconut. Press into a greased 9-in. square baking pan. In a mixing bowl, cream remaining butter. Add milk, pudding mix and confectioners' sugar; beat until fluffy. Spread over crust. Refrigerate until firm, 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Melt chocolate chips and butter; cool. Spread over pudding layer. Refrigerate. Cut into bars.