Napoleon Dessert Squares 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.

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.

APRICOT PHYLLO NAPOLEONS

Steps:

• Drain yogurt in a cheesecloth-lined sieve or colander set over a bowl, covered and chilled, 8 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Put stack of phyllo on a work surface and cover stack with 2 overlapping sheets of plastic wrap and then a damp kitchen towel. Stir together butter and oil.
• Arrange 1 phyllo sheet on a large parchment-lined baking sheet, then spread with one fourth of butter mixture using a dampened pastry brush. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon granulated sugar. Top with 3 more layers in same manner as first with remaining phyllo and butter mixture and 3 teaspoons granulated sugar. Cut stack into 12 rectangles (2 lengthwise cuts, 3 crosswise) and bake in middle of oven until crisp and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack.
• Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into a bowl using a small sharp knife. Stir in drained yogurt, sour cream, and 1 tablespoon brown sugar.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over moderately high heat. Add apricots and sprinkle with remaining 2 teaspoons granulated sugar. Gently toss until apricots are warm and tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer apricots to a bowl with a slotted spoon.
• Add water and remaining teaspoon brown sugar to skillet and deglaze by boiling over moderately high heat, scraping up brown bits, until reduced by about half. Toss apricots in warm syrup.
• Place 1 phyllo rectangle on a plate and top with 3 apricot pieces and 1 generous tablespoon yogurt mixture. Make 2 more layers with phyllo squares, apricots, and yogurt mixture. Make 3 more napoleons in same manner.

STRAWBERRY NAPOLEONS

Steps:

• Add the egg yolks to a medium sized bowl and gently beat them together. Set aside.
• Add the sugar, cornstarch and milk to a large saucepan and mix until smooth.
• Cook, stirring continuously, over medium-high heat until mixture begins to thicken and bubble.
• Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Add a little bit of milk mixture to the egg yolks and whisk together, then add egg mixture to milk mixture. This process ensures that you don't scramble the egg yolks.
• Place the pan back on the heat and bring to a light boil. Allow to boil for 2 minutes, stirring continuously.
• Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth, then top with clear wrap that touches the top of the cream (it helps prevent a film from forming on top). Refrigerate until cool and ready to use.
• Remove the two sheets of puff pastry from the box and cut each set into 3 strips, for a total of 6 strips.
• Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 13 minutes.
• Remove them from the oven and allow to cool. Press the baked pastry down just a bit, if needed so they layers are relatively flat.
• To finish making the pastry cream, add the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar to a large mixer bowl and whip until stiff peaks form.
• Gently fold the whipped cream into the pastry cream.
• To layer everything together, place a layer of puff pastry onto a serving plate and top it with some chopped strawberries.
• Pipe or spread some pastry cream on top of the berries, then repeat another layer of puff pastry, strawberries and pastry cream.
• Top off the pastry with a third pastry strip on top. Repeat the layering process with the remaining puff pastry, pastry cream and strawberries.
• To make the icing, add all ingredients to a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Spread the icing onto the top of the completed napoleons.
• To add the whipped cream topping, add the ingredients to a large mixer bowl and whisk until stiff peaks form.
• Pipe swirls of the whipped cream on top of the napoleons and top with a few additional chopped berries. Refrigerate until ready to 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.

LEMON CREAM FILLO NAPOLEON

Steps:

• Place the lemon zest in a medium bowl and set aside. Spoon 4 tablespoons of the lemon juice into a very small bowl, sprinkle with the gelatin and set aside to thicken and almost set.
• Place the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, salt, and remaining lemon juice in the bowl with the lemon zest and whisk together. Pour into a saucepan, add the butter and cook over med-low heat, whisking constantly, until the custard begins to thicken. Just before boiling remove from the heat and add the now thickened lemon gelatin mixture. Pour the whole mixture through a fine mesh strainer set over a medium bowl. Cover the surface directly with plastic wrap and chill overnight until set quite firm.
• The next day, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Unwrap the sheets of fillo and cover with damp cloth or a piece of plastic wrap. You should work quickly to avoid the fillo drying out. Lay two pieces of parchment paper measuring about 16 by 11-inches out on large chopping board. Brush each piece of paper with a thin layer of butter and sift two tablespoons of confectioners' sugar onto each one.
• Lay a sheet of fillo onto each of the papers and now brush that with butter also. Continue to layer the fillo and butter on each stack to give 4 fillo layers in total, finishing with a butter layer. Finally, sift 2 tablespoons of confectioners' sugar on top of each. Lay another sheet of parchment paper measuring 16 by 11-inches on top and use this as a guide to trim the pastry edges using a sharp knife.
• Next, remove the top sheet of parchment and using the knife, divide each fillo stack in half down the length (to give four 5.5-inches wide and 16-inches long rectangles). Make light score marks (not cutting through) with the knife across the opposite way and at 2-inch intervals to give 8 portion marks when serving. Slide each stack onto a sheet pan, butter the top sheets of parchment paper and place them butter side down on top. Finally, place another sheet pan on top of each stack (which will ensure the pastry will cook thin and crispy).
• Bake for 15 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. Remove the top sheet pans and allow the pastries to cool completely.
• To assemble, set one long rectangle onto a large platter and spread over 1/4 of the lemon cream evenly. Continue to layer up the fillo and lemon cream ending with a fillo top, to give 4 fillo layers and 3 lemon cream layers. There should be a remaining 1/4 of lemon cream still in the bowl to make a sauce with. To do this, add a 1/4 cup of hot tap water and whisk until smooth and drizzly in consistency.
• Finally, prepare the blackberries. Tip them into a small bowl and lightly crush them with a fork to bring out their juices. Add 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar and toss together.
• Using a very sharp knife carefully cut the Napoleon into 8 portions using the score marks as a guide. Drizzle some lemon sauce on each serving plate and place a portion of Napoleon in the center of each one. Spoon the crushed blackberries around and serve at once.

RASPBERRY NAPOLEONS DESSERT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Roll out 1 puff pastry sheet on a floured work surface until it is 1/4-inch thick. Cut into 16 squares. Transfer to a baking sheet and prick all over with a fork. Repeat with remaining puff pastry sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned on the top and bottom, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool, about 10 minutes.
• Combine cream cheese, white sugar, heavy cream, and lemon zest in a bowl. Mix by hand until smooth and glossy. Dollop cream cheese mixture over 16 squares. Spread out cream cheese mixture and cover with raspberries. Top with the remaining puff pastry squares and dust with confectioners' sugar.

NAPOLEON CREMES

Steps:

• Combine graham cracker crumbs, coconut, sugar and cocoa. Stir in melted butter and vanilla. Press onto bottom of a greased 9-in. square baking dish. Refrigerate 30 minutes., For filling, beat softened butter until smooth. Add confectioners' sugar, pudding mix and milk; beat until fluffy. Spread over crust. Refrigerate until firm, 1-1/2 to 2 hours., For topping, microwave chocolate chips and butter on high, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth. Cool. Spread over pudding layer. Refrigerate until set. Cut into bars.

LAYERED NEOPOLITAN SQUARES

Steps:

• Bottom: Mix the 4 first ingredients together. Put in a greased 9x9 baking pan (grease the sides also). Cook in the oven at 350 F for 10 minutes.
• Second Layer: In a clean bowl, mix coconut and condensed milk. Spread this mixture on the bottom, in the pan. Cook in the oven at 350 F for 20 minutes, or until the cookie begins to golden on the sides. Let cool before icing.
• Icing: Beat all ingredients of the icing together, adding juice, if needed to have a good consistency. Put the icing on the cold cookie. Put in an hermetic container and let rest at least one day to let the cookie soften. You can eat the squares the same day but they're harder to cut when fresh.

CANNOLI NAPOLEONS

Steps:

• Make the pastry dough in the food processor a day or two in advance-or at least 4 hours-for the best texture. Put the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl and process just to mix. Mix the olive oil, vinegar and the wine together and, with the machine running, pour all but 1 tablespoon in and process for 20 seconds or so until a dough gathers on the blade. If it feels hard and dry, sprinkle in the remaining liquid and process briefly. It should be moist and malleable-incorporate more wine if needed. Turn the dough out of the bowl, scraping any bits from the sides and blade, and knead by hand into a soft, smooth ball. Flatten to a disk, wrap very tightly in plastic, and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
• Put the fresh ricotta in a fine-meshed sieve and set inside a bowl to drain for at least 12 hours or a whole day in advance. Cover the ricotta with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
• To make the cannoli cream, whip the ricotta with the whisk attachment of an electric mixer until smooth. Whip in the 2/3 cup powdered sugar and the Grand Marnier. Chop the chocolate (or chips) into coarse bits-big enough to bite into and to be visible. Coarsely chop the candied peel and almonds to the same size. Fold the chopped pieces into the cream; refrigerate until you assemble the cannoli.
• Cut the pastry dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one piece of dough to a rectangle, 14 inches by 11 inches (or as close as possible). With a sharp knife and ruler, trim the edges and divide the rectangle into a dozen squares, about 3-1/2 inches on a side. (If you can only get 9 squares of that size or slightly larger, that's fine!). Set the squares aside, on a lightly floured tray, to rest for 15 minutes before frying. Meanwhile, roll out and divide the remaining half of dough the same way.
• To fry the pastry, pour oil into the skillet to a depth of 1/4-inch and set over medium heat. With the point of a small sharp knife, pierce each pastry square about 10 times all over its surface, as though you were making pin pricks through the dough. (These tiny holes will prevent the pastry from ballooning when fried.).
• Heat the oil until the edge of a square sizzles gently when dipped into it, then lay in as many squares as you can, 2 inches apart. Raise the heat to keep the oil temperature up (but lower it as soon as the sizzling gets too fast). Fry the squares for about 3 minutes on the first side, pushing them under the oil occasionally to heat the top surface. As the tops begin to bubble, press with tongs to prevent big bubbles from ballooning-small bubbles are OK. When the bottom is golden brown, flip the squares over and fry until evenly colored and crisp on both sides, about 2 minutes.
• As soon as they're done, lift the squares with tongs, let excess oil drip off, and lay them to drain on folded paper towels; flip them over to blot the oil from both sides. Fry all the squares this way, adding oil as needed and heating it between batches.
• Assemble your cannoli Napoleons shortly before serving, with 3 nice squares for each. Set one square on the plate, drop about 1-1/2 tablespoons of cannoli cream in the center, lay another square on top-sides aligned-and press gently to spread the cream. Drop on another layer of cream, cover with the third square and press. Finally, shower the top of each Napoleon with powdered sugar (and embellish with drizzles of honey or a sprinkle of finely grated chocolate) and serve.

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