Napoleon Boulangerie Patisserie France

Ingredients:
1 pound puff pastry
2 cups pastry cream
¾ cup Chantilly cream
Confectioner’s sugar

Vanilla Pastry Cream:
2 cups milk
½ vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
6 egg yolks
2/3 cup granulated sugar
4 teaspoons flour or corn starch

Method of Preparation:
Place the milk and vanilla bean in saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and keep hot. Beat the sugar and egg yolk together until the mixture whitens and forms a ribbon; then gently stir in cornstarch or flour. Strain out the vanilla bean and pour the hot milk into the egg and sugar mixture, continually beating. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 1-minute stirring vigorously, then pour into a bowl and lightly rub the surface of the cream with a lump of butter to keep skin from forming as it cools. Yield: 2 cups

Chantilly Cream:
1 cup crème fraiche, very cold
3 tablespoons cold milk
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
¾ teaspoon vanilla sugar
1 ½ tablespoon shaved ice or water

Method of Preparation:
Mix the crème fraiche with the milk in a chilled mixing bowl; add sugar, vanilla sugar and the shaved ice or ice water, whip at low speed for one minute, then whip at high speed for one to three minutes more or until it stands in soft peaks.

*NOTE: AVOID WHIPPING TOO LONG OTHERWISE IT WILL TURN INTO BUTTER. CHANTILLY CREAM KEEPS FOR 24 HRS. IF REFRIGERATED IN A TIGHTLY CLOSED CONTAINER.

Assembling the cake:
Roll out the pastry into 3 rectangles and bake until lightly browned. When the three sheets have been baked, select the best rectangle to serve as the cover or top layer of the cake. Turn this rectangle over and dust generously with confectioner’s sugar. Broil for 1 min. watching to make sure the sugar doesn’t burn. Allow to cool.

Fold the vanilla pastry cream into the Chantilly cream. On the first rectangle pastry, spread a layer of this cream. Place the second rectangle on top, spread it with the cream as well, and then cover with the glazed rectangle of pastry. Sprinkle the top with the confectioner’s sugar.