My favorite dessert is this perfect little pastry called Napoleon. It sometimes goes by other names, such as mille-feuille, meaning "thousand leaf." While the name of the Napoleon is not believed to be related to the famous emperor of the same name, this is definitely the king of pastries to me. It consists of three layers of puff pastry alternating with two layers of either creme patissiere or the lighter creme legere. The top puff pastry layer is usually glazed with a white icing, piped with chocolate stripes, and combed (see photos below).
Last night we had our annual lab holiday party and I prepared the desserts. I originally planned on 8 different desserts (more posts to follow!), but had a little extra time (!) for once in my life. So, I decided to make a Napoleon! Because of the last minute nature of the dessert (not recommended), I used frozen puff pastry. I assure you though, it would be better with freshly prepared puff pastry. The recipe I followed is from the book "The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Pastry Arts." Anyway, I rolled the sheet of puff pastry to a thickness of about 1/8" and placed it on a parchment-lined baking sheet. After pricking the entire surface of the pastry with a fork, I then covered the puff pastry sheet with another piece of parchment and another baking sheet to hold it down. Bake it for 15 minutes at 350 °F, remove the top baking sheet and parchment, brush with light corn syrup, and return to the oven for 10 minutes. The tricky part is that upon removing the pastry from the oven, it's essential that you cut it in to the three equally sized pastry layers immediately. If it cools, it will break when you try to cut it. I used a template to get the three pieces of equal size and used a pizza wheel to cut the pastry quickly and evenly. Worked like a charm. I let the three sheets of puff pastry cool while I prepared my filling.
I prefer the creme legere in my Napoleons because it has a wonderfully light fluffy texture. It's not much different from the more common creme patissiere; in fact you make it from creme patissiere by folding in some whipped cream. To be honest, I wasn't thrilled with the ratios I used for my creme legere. The next time I do this, I will add more whipped cream and maybe even a touch more sugar. I will also omit the rum.
Before assembling, I glazed one of my puff pastry sheets with a royal icing, piped chocolate stripes lengthwise along the pastry, and then ran the edge of my thinnest spatula through the stripes in an alternating pattern to get the desired effect. This is the classic napoleon glaze, but feel free to get creative! Finally, the cream and pastry was layered to give the final product. If you make a Napoleon, keep in mind that it doesn't keep well for long periods. In fact, it should really be eaten within 8 hours of preparation. Otherwise, the pastry becomes soggy and the pastry begins to compress a bit. It definitely tastes best fresh.
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