Be My Valentine Napoleons Recipes

HEART-SHAPED NAPOLEONS RECIPE

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, off the heat, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, salt and egg yolks until a thick paste forms. Add milk and whisk until the paste is completely dissolved. Make extra sure that everything is dissolved before heating.
• Place saucepan over medium heat and slowly bring pudding to a bubble, stirring constantly with a whisk. Once the first bubble pops on the surface of the pudding, reduce heat to low and continue whisking for exactly 1 minute and then remove from heat.
• Stir in vanilla and butter until completely melted and incorporated then transfer into a clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap so that the wrap is touching the pudding. This will prevent a thick skin from forming on the surface of the pudding. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until completely cooled.
• While the pudding is cooling, preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Unfold each sheet of puff pastry and pinch together seams where dough was folded. Dip heart-shaped cookie cutter into flour and cut as many as possible out of each sheet.
• Transfer hearts to prepared baking sheet and bake for 13-15 minutes or until lightly golden on top. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Remove cooled pudding from refrigerator and whisk to soften and remove any lumps. Fold whipped cream (or whipped topping) into pudding and set aside.
• Add chocolate chips, ¼ cup heavy cream and honey to a microwave-safe bowl and heat for about 30 seconds. Stir to melt chocolate and combine thoroughly. Return to microwave for 10 seconds at a time as necessary just to melt chocolate. Stir ingredients into a smooth, glossy glaze.
• Use a sharp knife to split the puff pastry hearts in half horizontally then fill bottom half with pudding. Place the top of puff pastry over pudding and dust lightly with powdered sugar. Drizzle chocolate glaze over the hearts and serve or refrigerate up to 1 hour until ready to serve.

BE MY VALENTINE NAPOLEONS

Steps:

• 1. Heat oven to 400 Degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Wash and dry the orange half, then coarsely chop it.
• 2. In a bowl of food processor, pulse orange and cranberries until finely chopped but not pureed. Transfer to bowl; stir in granulated sugar, pecans, and ginger. Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.
• 3. Beat mascarpone on medium speed of mixer until soft. Add 1 cup of cream, 6 tablespoons powdered sugar and vanilla; beat until fluffy. Refrigerate until needed.
• 4. Thaw pastry sheet as directed on package. Unfold thawed pastry on lightly floured surface and lightly flour the top surface. Roll out to an 11x11-inch square.
• 5. Using cookie cutters, cut out five large (4-inch), five medium (3-inch) and five small (1 1/2-inch) hearts. Cut out extra small hearts with any remaining dough to use as garnish.
• 6. Place all the hearts on the prepared baking sheet; bake for about 12 minutes or until golden. Cool on wire rack for at least 10 minutes.
• 7. Heat remaining 3 tablespoons cream in microwave for 30 seconds; add chocolate and stir to melt. Microwave for 10 seconds at a time if needed to fully melt chocolate.
• 8. To assemble pastries, split the large and medium hearts in half with a serrated knife. Pipe (or spoon) filling into bottoms of hearts, add a spoonful of cranberry relish and finish with the top hearts. Add a layer of filling and relish to top of the large heart; set the filled medium heart on top. Then add cream and relish to the top of the medium heart and finish with the small heart.
• 9. Drizzle chocolate sauce over the pastry. Repeat with remaining hearts. Extra small hearts can be dusted with powdered sugar and used as a garnish.

VANILLA CREAM NAPOLEONS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. Lightly spray 2 cookie sheets with cooking spray. On lightly floured surface, unfold pastry sheets. Cut each sheet into 3 strips along fold marks. Place on cookie sheet; prick lightly with fork all over strips. Repeat with remaining pastry sheet and second cookie sheet.
• Bake about 5 minutes. Prick surfaces of pastries with fork to prevent pastries from rising too much during baking. Bake 10 minutes longer or until golden brown. Remove pastries from cookie sheets; cool 10 to 15 minutes.
• In large bowl, beat pudding mix, 2 cups milk, vanilla and sour cream with electric mixer on medium speed until soft pudding forms. Cover; refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes.
• In small bowl, stir powdered sugar and 3 teaspoons milk. If icing is too thick, stir in another teaspoon milk until spreadable consistency.
• On 1 pastry layer, spread about 3/4 cup pudding. Repeat with another pastry layer and 3/4 cup pudding. Top with third pastry layer. Spread icing over top. Set aside. Repeat to make second dessert with remaining pastries, pudding and icing.
• In microwavable small bowl, microwave chocolate chips uncovered on High about 30 seconds or until chocolate can be stirred smooth. Drizzle chocolate back and forth across top of each dessert. Drag toothpick through chocolate and icing to create marbled appearance.
• Cut desserts into 2-inch slices. Cover; refrigerate until ready to serve.