Napoleon Dessert Recipe | French Pastry (Mille Feuille Cream Pastry

• Refrigerated

  • 6 Egg yolks, large

• Baking & Spices

  • 4 tbsp Cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup Granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup Powdered sugar
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 2 tsp Vanilla extract, pure

• Bread & Baked Goods

  • 1 17.3 oz. pkg Puff pastry sheets

• Dairy

  • 3/4 cup Heavy whipping cream
  • 2 cups Whole milk

• Desserts

  • 1 1/2 tsp Gelatin, Unflavored

• Liquids

  • 2 tsp Water

Found on ofbatteranddough.com

Description

Ingredients

• 1½ tsp unflavored gelatin
• 2 tsp cold water
• 2 cups whole milk
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• 6 large egg yolks
• 4 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• One 17.3 oz. pkg puff pastry sheets
• ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
• about ¼ cup powdered sugar - for sprinkling

Directions

• In a small dish, stir the gelatin and water together to combine. There should be just enough water to moisten the gelatin, creating a thick paste. Set aside.
• Add milk, sugar, salt, egg yolks and cornstarch to a 4-quart or larger heavy bottomed saucepan and whisk vigorously to combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly, at which point the mixture will have thickened to the point that the whisk will leave tracks as you stir. Boil for 30 seconds then remove from the heat and whisk for 30 seconds longer. Pour into a bowl.
• Whisk in vanilla. Break the gelatin into small pieces, dropping them into the hot pastry cream. Whisk until the gelatin is completely incorporated, about 20 seconds. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap over the surface of the pastry cream, and punch a few holes in the surface of the wrap with a sharp knife. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to 24 hours.
• Thaw the puff pastry according to the package directions.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Unfold both sheets of pastry and cut 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 ¼-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 40 minutes. Remove the top baking sheet and the top layer of parchment and bake for another 10-20 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and let cool completely before assembly.
• Whip the heavy cream until medium peaks form.
• Remove the cooled pastry cream from the refrigerator and add to the whipped cream. Beat on medium speed with an electric mixer to combine, about 1 minute.
• Lay one sheet of baked puff pastry on a serving dish and spread about a ½-inch thick layer of pastry cream evenly over the top. Layer another rectangle of pastry over the cream, repeat with another ½-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.
• To make the Napoleons easier to slice, before serving, place them in the freezer for 30-60 minutes. (*NOTE: This is optional, and might not even be necessary if they are well chilled.)
• Dust the tops of each Napoleon with a thick layer of powdered sugar.
• Slice each Napoleon into 6 slices, using a serrated knife. *TIP: Hold on to the sides of each pastry layer as you slice through it, sawing gently with the knife, allowing the knife to do the work of cutting through the fragile layers of pastry without pressing down too hard.