Berry Napoleon With Lemon Curd Recipes

LEMON CURD WITH BERRIES

Steps:

• Bring lemon zest, lemon juice, and 1/4 cup sugar to a bare simmer in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, whisking to dissolve sugar, then remove from heat.
• Whisk eggs, salt, and 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl until light and thick, about 1 minute. Whisking constantly, gradually pour about one-quarter of hot lemon mixture into egg mixture, then, whisking constantly, incorporate egg mixture into remaining lemon mixture in saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until lemon curd is opaque and thick enough to hold the marks of the whisk, about 2 minutes.
• Scrape lemon curd into a blender. With motor on medium speed, add butter a piece at a time, waiting until each piece is fully incorporated before adding the next, until the butter is emulsified and curd is light and thick.
• Transfer lemon curd to a large nonreactive bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing directly against surface so a skin doesn't form. Chill until cold, at least 2 hours.
• Toss berries and remaining 1-2 Tbsp. sugar in another large bowl. Let sit until some juices have accumulated, 25-30 minutes. Spoon curd into bowls and top with berries and their juices.
• Do Ahead
• Lemon curd can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.

LEMON CURD NAPOLEON

Steps:

• Prepare the lemon curd: In the bottom of a double-boiler, pour several inches of water, and bring to a simmer. In the top of the double-boiler, combine the egg yolks, lemon juice, and zest. Add the sugar, and whisk to blend. Fit the pans together, and whisk the egg mixture constantly until thickened, about 4 minutes.
• Remove the pans from the heat, and whisk in the butter, a piece at a time, until completely incorporated. Place the top of the double-boiler in a large bowl of ice water, and stir frequently until chilled. Transfer to a covered container, and refrigerate. The curd may be stored, refrigerated, for up to three days.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the phyllo sheets on a dry work surface, and cover with a slightly dampened cloth. Remove one phyllo sheet, and lightly brush with clarified butter. Top with two more sheets, brushing each with butter. Make a second stack with the remainign three sheets of phyllo, buttering each one. Using a sharp, round 3-inch cookie cutter, cut out 12 circles from each stack. Sprinkle generously with confectioners' sugar, and transfer to a baking sheet. Cover phyllo disks with a sheet of parchment paper, and fit another baking sheet on top. Bake until golden, about 5 minutes; do not overcook. Remove top baking sheet and parchment paper, and allow phyllo disks to cool.
• To assemble: Place a dab of lemon curd in the center of each plate, and press a phyllo disk on top of it. Top the phyllo with 1 tablespoon of lemon curd. Arrange four raspberries on the curd. Top with another phyllo disk, more lemon curd, and raspberries, continuing until each napoleon has three layers of berries. Top with a phyllo disk, and sprinkle with confectioners sugar. Serve immediately.

LEMON CURD NAPOLEONS

Steps:

• Combine yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar in a small saucepan. Whisk to combine.
• Cook over low to medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, making sure to stir sides and bottom of pan. Cook until mixture is thick enough to coat back of wooden spoon, about 5 minutes.
• Remove saucepan from heat. Add butter, one piece at a time, stirring with the wooden spoon until consistency is thick and smooth.
• Transfer mixture to a bowl. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd to avoid a skin from forming; wrap tightly.
• Refrigerate until firm and chilled, at least 1 hour.
• Bake the puff pastry according to the package instructions. Be sure to prick the sheet of pastry with a fork so that it doesn't puff up too much. They will bake for approximately 10 - 12 minutes.
• Add sugar to the whipped cream and whisk until peaks begin to form.
• Once pastry has been removed from oven and allowed to cool, cut into equal size rectangles.
• Each napoleon will require 3 rectangles. Place the bottom one down, and spread with some of the lemon curd. Place another layer of pastry on top, then spread with the cream. Finally, put the last layer on top.
• Mix the confectioner's sugar with a few drops of milk until you reach a glaze consistency. You want it to be easily spreadable but not so runny that it runs off the top of the pastry. Glaze each napoleon and allow to chill in the fridge until the glaze has hardened.

BERRY NAPOLEON WITH LEMON CURD

Steps:

• FOR THE PASTRY: Make a well in the flour. Add the cornstarch. Cut the butter in 1 1/2 Tablespoon chunks. Add the salt. Mash the butter into the flour with your fingers until the particles of butter are the size of whole macadamia nuts.
• Mix in the ice water, 1 Tablespoon at a time, introducing it with your fingertips. Press the small balls of dough that will form into a large one. With the heel of your hand, lightly push the ball of dough forward into large pieces and then gather it into a ball. Shape into a rectangle 6 1/2 inches by 4 1/2 inches. Refrigerate for 1 hour, preferably in the vegetable crisper.
• Roll the dough 6 inches away from you and then 6 inches toward you, keeping it 6 1/2 inches wide and never less that 1/3 inch thick. Do not bear down on the dough. Roll it out parallel to the countertop in 1 or 2 strokes. If the dough becomes wider than 6 1/2 inches, block it on each side by place the rolling pin parallel to the edge of the dough and tapping it gently toward the dough. The dough edge will straighten. Fold the dough in 3 folds. Turn the dough 90 degrees so it looks like a book ready to be opened.
• With a bit of pressure applied with the rolling pin at the top and bottom seams, pinch the layers of dough slightly to prevent the butter from escaping later. Roll out the dough again and fold it a second time, exactly as described above.
• You will have given it two turns. If the package of dough is less than 6 inches wide, tap it gently with the rolling pin to flatten it. To keep track of the turns, punch small depressions on the surface of the dough with your fingertips.
• Put the dough on a lightly floured plate. Cover it loosely with a sheet of Saran Wrap (plastic wrap) and put it to cool in the vegetable crisper of the refrigerator. The dough should rest for at least 1 hour.
• Finish the dough by giving it two more series of two turns, exactly as described above. Rest the dough for 30 minutes between each series of turns. After turns 3 and 4, punch 4 small depressions on the surface of the dough; after turns 5 and 6, trace an X. That will remind you that the pastry is finished and may be used anytime.
• Roll out after chilling deeply for 1 to 2 hours and cut in the shape that you desire.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Cut the puff pastry in half. Roll each half into 2 sheets, each 1/8 inch thick and as wide and long as you can make it. Bake between 2 black baking sheets for 15 minutes until brown.
• Cool and cut into rectangles 1 inch by 3 inches.
• TO PREPARE THE LEMON CURD: Beat the egg yolks with the sugar in an electric mixer until extremely thick. The mixture should form a heavy ribbon. Transfer to a large saucepan. Gradually add the lemon juice as you beat over VERY LOW HEAT, until the curd thickens heavily. Add all the rinds and gradually the melted butter, and cool completely.
• TO BUILD THE NAPOLEONS: Put the lemon curd into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/3 inch wide, round plain nozzle. Cover 1 rectangle of pastry with an even layer of curd. Top that layer with a second rectangle of pastry. Cover that second rectangle with curd and top with a third rectangle of pastry. Powder each napoleon with confectioner's sugar.
• Thaw the raspberries. Remove half of their syrup. Blend to a puree in the blender and strain to discard all seeds. To serve, put one napoleon on a desert plate and surround with raspberry puree. This recipe will make 8 to 10 beautiful napoleons.
• VARIATION: Fresh Berry Napoleons: Instead of using just lemon curd, try the following idea. Pipe the lemon curd between the layers, as in the recipe, but add strawberries on the first layer, blueberries on the second, and raspberries on the third. Do not serve with the raspberry sauce; the berries will make their own sauce as you eat the napoleons.
• Madeleine Cooks.
• If you cannot find Meyer lemons, you can substitute Eureka or Lisbon lemons.
• Meyer lemon is a hybrid, a cross between a regular lemon and either an orange or a mandarin. They're sometimes smaller than a regular lemon, rounder in shape, with a thin, soft, and smooth rind which ranges from greenish when slightly immature to a rich yellow-orange when fully ripe. The rind lacks the typical lemon peel oil aroma and the pulp is darker yellow and less acidic than a regular lemon. The complex flavor and aroma hints of sweet lime, lemon and mandarin.
• Use it for most purposes as you would a regular lemon. It's perfect for a soufflé or lemon tart and, because it's sweeter than a regular lemon, makes good lemonade requiring less sugar. On the other hand, when you want a more acidic lemon taste, as in a vinaigrette or marinade, you're probably better off using a regular lemon.

LEMON CREAM FILLO NAPOLEON

Steps:

• Place the lemon zest in a medium bowl and set aside. Spoon 4 tablespoons of the lemon juice into a very small bowl, sprinkle with the gelatin and set aside to thicken and almost set.
• Place the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, salt, and remaining lemon juice in the bowl with the lemon zest and whisk together. Pour into a saucepan, add the butter and cook over med-low heat, whisking constantly, until the custard begins to thicken. Just before boiling remove from the heat and add the now thickened lemon gelatin mixture. Pour the whole mixture through a fine mesh strainer set over a medium bowl. Cover the surface directly with plastic wrap and chill overnight until set quite firm.
• The next day, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Unwrap the sheets of fillo and cover with damp cloth or a piece of plastic wrap. You should work quickly to avoid the fillo drying out. Lay two pieces of parchment paper measuring about 16 by 11-inches out on large chopping board. Brush each piece of paper with a thin layer of butter and sift two tablespoons of confectioners' sugar onto each one.
• Lay a sheet of fillo onto each of the papers and now brush that with butter also. Continue to layer the fillo and butter on each stack to give 4 fillo layers in total, finishing with a butter layer. Finally, sift 2 tablespoons of confectioners' sugar on top of each. Lay another sheet of parchment paper measuring 16 by 11-inches on top and use this as a guide to trim the pastry edges using a sharp knife.
• Next, remove the top sheet of parchment and using the knife, divide each fillo stack in half down the length (to give four 5.5-inches wide and 16-inches long rectangles). Make light score marks (not cutting through) with the knife across the opposite way and at 2-inch intervals to give 8 portion marks when serving. Slide each stack onto a sheet pan, butter the top sheets of parchment paper and place them butter side down on top. Finally, place another sheet pan on top of each stack (which will ensure the pastry will cook thin and crispy).
• Bake for 15 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. Remove the top sheet pans and allow the pastries to cool completely.
• To assemble, set one long rectangle onto a large platter and spread over 1/4 of the lemon cream evenly. Continue to layer up the fillo and lemon cream ending with a fillo top, to give 4 fillo layers and 3 lemon cream layers. There should be a remaining 1/4 of lemon cream still in the bowl to make a sauce with. To do this, add a 1/4 cup of hot tap water and whisk until smooth and drizzly in consistency.
• Finally, prepare the blackberries. Tip them into a small bowl and lightly crush them with a fork to bring out their juices. Add 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar and toss together.
• Using a very sharp knife carefully cut the Napoleon into 8 portions using the score marks as a guide. Drizzle some lemon sauce on each serving plate and place a portion of Napoleon in the center of each one. Spoon the crushed blackberries around and serve at once.

STRAWBERRY NAPOLEONS WITH LEMON CREAM

Steps:

• Make lemon cream:
• Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in small bowl; let stand until soft, about 10 minutes. Combine lemonade concentrate, sugar, butter, yolks and egg in medium metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water; whisk until candy thermometer registers 160°F., about 5 minutes. Remove from over water; whisk in gelatin mixture. Strain into large bowl. Set in larger bowl or ice water. Stir until mixture is cool and beginning to thicken but not set, about 10 minutes. Beat cream in medium bowl to firm peaks; fold into lemon mixture. Chill at least 4 hours.
• Make phyllo pastries:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Place 1 phyllo sheet on work surface (cover remaining phyllo with plastic wrap and damp towel). Brush phyllo with butter; sprinkle with sugar. Repeat with remaining phyllo, butter and sugar. Cut phyllo stack into twenty 3-inch squares. Transfer squares to baking sheets. Bake until dark golden, watching closely, about 12 minutes. Transfer to racks; cool. (Lemon cream and phyllo squares can be made 1 day ahead. Keep cream chilled. Store phyllo squares airtight at room temperature.)
• Make strawberry sauce:
• Simmer 2 1/4 cups sliced strawberries and 6 tablespoons sugar in heavy medium saucepan until strawberries are soft, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Purée in processor. Strain into small bowl. Chill.
• Place 10 phyllo squares on work surface. Transfer lemon cream to pastry bag fitted with large star tip. Pipe lemon cream over squares, leaving 1/2-inch border on sides. Arrange sliced berries in single layer over cream. Pipe small rosette of cream atop berries. Top each with phyllo square. Pipe rosette of cream atop phyllo. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Garnish each with whole berry. Serve with sauce.