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Classic French Napoleon
in Diana's Recipe Book
 |
Average Rating:
 
(total ratings: 10) [Read reviews] [Post a review] |
| Servings: 9 |
| Comments: The Napoleon is a pastry made of many layers of puff pastry with filling alternating the layers. It can be eaten as a dessert, or even as a decadent meal. As a French pastry it is called mille-feuilles, or thousand leaves, and it is usually filled with whipped cream, pastry cream, and fruit preserves - most often raspberry jam. The topping may be simply powdered sugar, or a layer of fondant, often with strings of chocolate drawn into a chevron design. In Italy, where the pastry is thought to have originated in Naples, it is called mille foglie (again, thousand leaves), and contains a similar layering like the mille-feuilles of cream, pastry cream, and fruit preserves. A traditional napoleon is filled with plain pastry cream but if desired you may add a thin layer of fruit preserves such as seedless raspberry or strawberry jam or preserves to the filling. |
Ingredients:  For Puff Pastry: 1/2 of a 17 1/4-ounce package (1 sheet) frozen puff pastry, thawed For Cream Filling: 1/4 cup granulated or superfine sugar 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 cup half and half or light cream 2 slightly beaten egg yolks 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 cup whipping cream For Glaze: 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 2-3 tablespoons boiling water Fruit Preserve or Jam Filling: (optional) 1/3 cup seedless raspberry or strawberry jam or preserves Chocolate Drizzle Topping: 1 1/2 tablespoons melted semisweet chocolate |
| Instructions: For 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. For 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. For 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. To Assemble: 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. Makes 9 napoleons. |
| Date: June 18, 2006 |
Reviews
Reviewer: chris
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Excellent recipe for napoleans. My family loved them. I can't wait to make them for the holidays. Recipe was easy and better than bakery bought.
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Excellent recipe for napoleans. My family loved them. I can't wait to make them for the holidays. Recipe was easy and better than bakery bought.
Reviewer: Sadia
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Mine didn't turn out like the french napolean's I've had previously (that look just like the one in the picture). My cream was also a bit liquidy. Not sure why.
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Mine didn't turn out like the french napolean's I've had previously (that look just like the one in the picture). My cream was also a bit liquidy. Not sure why.
Reviewer: Nick
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My pastry was scrumptious, but make sure that you watch it while it cooks
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My pastry was scrumptious, but make sure that you watch it while it cooks
Reviewer: armenak
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Reviewer: pherron
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they came out very nice. very great taste! i just need to work on my plate presentation (lol), but a very nice recipe!
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they came out very nice. very great taste! i just need to work on my plate presentation (lol), but a very nice recipe!
Reviewer: Lisa
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Tastes good but does not look like the picture. I think it needs more cream filling. Also, would love to know how long to let mixture cool before assembling. Also, cool at room temp or in fridge?
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Tastes good but does not look like the picture. I think it needs more cream filling. Also, would love to know how long to let mixture cool before assembling. Also, cool at room temp or in fridge?
Reviewer: Jezzie
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The best cream filling recipe I've found so far, though I make twice as much as it says.
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The best cream filling recipe I've found so far, though I make twice as much as it says.
Also, I always cool in the refrigerator (occasionally even the freezer) until it doesn't feel warm to touch, and put another pan on top of crust for half the baking time to keep it from rising too much.
Reviewer: Luzma
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Very great taste, but the cream was liquid.
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Very great taste, but the cream was liquid.
Reviewer: nebia
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i don't get the pastry part, do you put in the filling then bake it, or should you bake it then put the filling?
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i don't get the pastry part, do you put in the filling then bake it, or should you bake it then put the filling?
Reviewer: Sal
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Have made these four times now and everyone really enjoys them, including my relatives from Italy. The first time the cream was a little runny and ozzed out the sides and the overall height was much less than those I buy from the pastry shop. I now use three pastry sheets and cut them into 9 by 3 inch strips, don't separate the pastry into layers and double the cream so I get three tall, 9 by 3 inch rectangles when finished. When serving we just cut off pieces using a serated knife. I do admit that the crust is a bit thick and tough to cut with a fork while eating without smashing it so we pick it up and eat the piece that way. That happens with the bakery versions too sometimes. I may try splitting the pastry in half but I don't think the proportion to cream will taste as good. As soon as I take the pastry out of the oven I do put another baking sheet on top and press the height down to about 1/2 inch. To make the cream a bit thicker I add one tablespoon of corn starch. I cook the cream for quite a long time until it is really thick, almost like a loose putty that sticks to itself, then add the eggs and cook to get it just as thick. After the first time I realized that the goal was a thick custard that would hold its own shape after adding the whipped cream which loosens the mixture up a bit. I feel like I am almost overcooking it, and maybe, but in the end they hold their shape and I do spread the cream when it is still warm and they taste great.
Rating:
Review:
Have made these four times now and everyone really enjoys them, including my relatives from Italy. The first time the cream was a little runny and ozzed out the sides and the overall height was much less than those I buy from the pastry shop. I now use three pastry sheets and cut them into 9 by 3 inch strips, don't separate the pastry into layers and double the cream so I get three tall, 9 by 3 inch rectangles when finished. When serving we just cut off pieces using a serated knife. I do admit that the crust is a bit thick and tough to cut with a fork while eating without smashing it so we pick it up and eat the piece that way. That happens with the bakery versions too sometimes. I may try splitting the pastry in half but I don't think the proportion to cream will taste as good. As soon as I take the pastry out of the oven I do put another baking sheet on top and press the height down to about 1/2 inch. To make the cream a bit thicker I add one tablespoon of corn starch. I cook the cream for quite a long time until it is really thick, almost like a loose putty that sticks to itself, then add the eggs and cook to get it just as thick. After the first time I realized that the goal was a thick custard that would hold its own shape after adding the whipped cream which loosens the mixture up a bit. I feel like I am almost overcooking it, and maybe, but in the end they hold their shape and I do spread the cream when it is still warm and they taste great.