Strawberry Napoleons Recipes

STRAWBERRY NAPOLEONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Combine pudding mix and cold milk; fold in whipped topping. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Unfold pastry on a cool, lightly floured surface. Cut into 3 strips along fold marks, then cut each strip into four equal pieces. Place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet.
• Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. Remove from baking sheet, and cool.
• Split pastries into 2 layers, setting the 8 best looking tops aside. Spread 8 bottom layers with dollops of the pudding mixture. Top each with a layer of strawberries, a small amount of pudding, and another pastry layer. (A small amount of the pudding mix on top of the berries will help keep the layers together.) Spread with remaining pudding mixture and strawberries, and top with remaining pastry layers (the best looking ones). Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.

STRAWBERRY NAPOLEONS

Steps:

• Make sauce:
• Simmer strawberries in syrup with sugar, stirring, until sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Cool to room temperature, then pur\ée in a blender.
• Assemble napoleons:
• Trim and quarter enough strawberries to measure 3 cups. Beat cream in a chilled bowl until it just holds stiff peaks.
• Put 1 cookie on a plate and spread 1/2 cup whipped cream over it. Top with ‚ cup quartered strawberries and drizzle about 3 tablespoons sauce over them. Lean a second cookie at an angle over berries and lightly dust with confectioners sugar. Make 5 more napoleons in same manner.

STRAWBERRY NAPOLEONS

Steps:

• To make the pastry cream, add the egg yolks to a medium sized bowl and gently beat them together. Set aside.
• 2. Add the sugar, cornstarch and milk to a large saucepan and mix until smooth.
• 3. Cook, stirring continuously, over medium-high heat until mixture begins to thicken and bubble.
• 4. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
• 5. Add a little bit of milk mixture to the egg yolks and whisk together, then add egg mixture to milk mixture. This process ensures that you don't scramble the egg yolks.
• 6. Place the pan back on the heat and bring to a light boil. Allow to boil for 2 minutes, stirring continuously.
• 7. Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth, then top with clear wrap that touches the top of the cream (it helps prevent a film from forming on top). Refrigerate until cool and ready to use.
• 8. Remove the two sheets of puff pastry from the box and cut each set into 3 strips, for a total of 6 strips.
• 9. Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 13 minutes.
• 10. Remove them from the oven and allow to cool. Press the baked pastry down just a bit, if needed so they layers are relatively flat.
• 11. To finish making the pastry cream, add the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar to a large mixer bowl and whip until stiff peaks form.
• 12. Gently fold the whipped cream into the pastry cream.
• 13. To layer everything together, place a layer of puff pastry onto a serving plate and top it with some chopped strawberries.
• 14. Pipe or spread some pastry cream on top of the berries, then repeat another layer of puff pastry, strawberries and pastry cream.
• 15. Top off the pastry with a third pastry strip on top. Repeat steps 13 through 15 with the remaining puff pastry, pastry cream and strawberries.
• 16. To make the icing, add all ingredients to a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Spread the icing onto the top of the completed napoleons.
• 17. To add the whipped cream topping, add the ingredients to a large mixer bowl and whisk until stiff peaks form.
• 18. Pipe swirls of the whipped cream on top of the napoleons and top with a few additional chopped berries. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Napoleons are best fresh, or refrigerated for 1-2 days.

STRAWBERRY NAPOLEON

Steps:

• Thaw the frozen puff pastry by placing it in room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Once thawed, unfold the pastry on a lightly floured surface and cut it into 3 strips along the fold mark.
• Cut each of the 3 strips into 4 rectangles; you will have a total of 12 same sized rectangles.
• Place the pastry rectangles on a baking sheet about an inch apart and bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until the pastry is puffed and golden brown.
• Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the pastry cool.
• In the meantime, make the vanilla pudding according to the package directions using the cold milk.
• Fold in the whipped cream into the set vanilla pudding.
• Now break apart each pastry rectangle into 2 layers - top and bottom; you now have 24 rectangles.
• Keep aside 8 top layers.
• Line up 8 bottom parts and spoon ½ of the vanilla mixture on them, dividing equally between the 8 pastries.
• Top with strawberry slices and another piece of pastry.
• Repeat with the remaining vanilla mixture and strawberry slices.
• Top with the reserved pastry tops.
• Garnish with a few slices of strawberry and a dusting of powdered sugar.
• Either serve immediately or the patries can be refrigerated for upto 3 hours.
• Note that the preparation time does not include time to thaw the pastry.

STRAWBERRY NAPOLEONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sprinkle work surface with some of granulated sugar. Unfold dough on top and sprinkle with more granulated sugar. If necessary, roll out to a 9 1/2-by-12 1/2-inch rectangle, slightly more than 1/8 inch thick. Using a sharp knife or pastry cutter, cut into a 9-by-12-inch rectangle. Transfer to a baking sheet; freeze 20 minutes. Cut into twelve 4-by-2 1/4-inch rectangles. Transfer to two baking sheets and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Prick rectangles all over with a fork. Coat two wire racks with cooking spray and place one over each set of rectangles (if you only have one cooling rack, work in batches). Bake until pastry just reaches tops of racks, about 15 minutes (do not let it bake into racks and stick). Remove racks; continue to bake until golden and evenly browned, about 15 minutes more. Let cool completely on racks, about 30 minutes.
• With a mixer, whisk cream, creme fraiche, vanilla seeds, and confectioners' sugar on medium speed until stiff peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes. Fit a pastry bag with a large star tip (such as Ateco #825). Split pastry rectangles horizontally (to create 24 pieces total). Choose 8 nice tops; set aside. Arrange a single layer of strawberries over 8 bottom rectangles. Pipe about 2 tablespoons cream over berries. Top with a second layer of berries. Pipe 2 tablespoons cream onto 8 more rectangles. Top with a layer of strawberries. Pipe a dollop of cream onto bottom and place on top of first layer, pressing very gently to help stick. Pipe a dollop of cream on bottom of reserved rectangles and place on top, sugared-sides up. Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to overnight.