CHEZ SIMONE. Tea for Two. Napoléons, Mille-Feuilles.
www.dianasdesserts.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/recipes.recip...
Napoleon Pastries (Mille-feuilles)
First: !/2 lbs puff pastry (phyllo dough/pâte feuilletée)
Pastry Cream (Crème pâtissière)
Icing
Fruit preserve or jam
Chocolate Drizzle Topping: (1 ½ Tbspoon melted semi-sweet chocolate)
1. Pastry:
Preheat your oven to 375° F (180° C).
Roll out the puff pastry dough into an elongated rectangle the thickness of a thin piece of cardboard. With a sharp knife, cut the dough into nine equal-sized pieces.
Transfer the dough to a baking pan (or pans) lined with parchment paper and pierce the dough all over with a fork.
Cover the dough with another sheet of parchment paper and place another baking pan on top to weigh down the dough as it bakes.
Bake the dough, about 25 minutes. Remove the top layer of parchment paper and pan and bake five minutes longer to let the dough golden.
Transfer the dough to racks. Separate each piece into two with the tip of a knife or prongs of a fork. Let cool completely.
2. Crème pâtissière:
2 cups milk
5 egg yolks
8 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons corn starch
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond flavoring.
In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the milk until very warm.
While the milk is heating, mix the egg yolks and sugar together in a large bowl, then whisk in the flour and cornstarch until the mixture is smooth.
Gradually whisk the hot milk into the egg mixture and pour back into the saucepan.
Place over medium heat, stirring or whisking constantly until the mixture thickens.
Remove the pastry cream from the heat and add vanilla flavoring.
Place a layer of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pastry cream to avoid a skin forming, and leave to cool.
The pastry cream can be refrigerated for up to several days until needed.
Glaze:
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
2 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 tablespoons hot water
In a medium mixing bowl stir ingredients together. If needed, stir in a few additional drops of water to make a glaze of spreading consistency; set aside.
Assemble and Decorate the Napoleons/Mille-Feuilles
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.
Top with middle pastry layer and more pastry cream.
Top with last pastry layer.
Pour the icing over the top layer of pastry and spread it evenly.
Next, working quickly, drizzle the chocolate across the surface of the icing in evenly-spaced, four parallel lines.
With the tip of a thin, sharp knife, make evenly-spaced perpendicular "cuts" through the lines of chocolate. -Allow an hour or two to chill before serving.
CHEZ SIMONE. Tea for Two. Napoléons, Mille-Feuilles.
www.dianasdesserts.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/recipes.recip...
Napoleon Pastries (Mille-feuilles)
First: !/2 lbs puff pastry (phyllo dough/pâte feuilletée)
Pastry Cream (Crème pâtissière)
Icing
Fruit preserve or jam
Chocolate Drizzle Topping: (1 ½ Tbspoon melted semi-sweet chocolate)
1. Pastry:
Preheat your oven to 375° F (180° C).
Roll out the puff pastry dough into an elongated rectangle the thickness of a thin piece of cardboard. With a sharp knife, cut the dough into nine equal-sized pieces.
Transfer the dough to a baking pan (or pans) lined with parchment paper and pierce the dough all over with a fork.
Cover the dough with another sheet of parchment paper and place another baking pan on top to weigh down the dough as it bakes.
Bake the dough, about 25 minutes. Remove the top layer of parchment paper and pan and bake five minutes longer to let the dough golden.
Transfer the dough to racks. Separate each piece into two with the tip of a knife or prongs of a fork. Let cool completely.
2. Crème pâtissière:
2 cups milk
5 egg yolks
8 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons corn starch
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond flavoring.
In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the milk until very warm.
While the milk is heating, mix the egg yolks and sugar together in a large bowl, then whisk in the flour and cornstarch until the mixture is smooth.
Gradually whisk the hot milk into the egg mixture and pour back into the saucepan.
Place over medium heat, stirring or whisking constantly until the mixture thickens.
Remove the pastry cream from the heat and add vanilla flavoring.
Place a layer of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pastry cream to avoid a skin forming, and leave to cool.
The pastry cream can be refrigerated for up to several days until needed.
Glaze:
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
2 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 tablespoons hot water
In a medium mixing bowl stir ingredients together. If needed, stir in a few additional drops of water to make a glaze of spreading consistency; set aside.
Assemble and Decorate the Napoleons/Mille-Feuilles
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.
Top with middle pastry layer and more pastry cream.
Top with last pastry layer.
Pour the icing over the top layer of pastry and spread it evenly.
Next, working quickly, drizzle the chocolate across the surface of the icing in evenly-spaced, four parallel lines.
With the tip of a thin, sharp knife, make evenly-spaced perpendicular "cuts" through the lines of chocolate. -Allow an hour or two to chill before serving.