Apple Napoleons Recipes

APPLE NAPOLEONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, combine cinnamon and sugar. Place pastry on a lightly floured work surface. Sprinkle evenly with 2 tablespoons cinnamon mixture. Carefully roll out to 1/8 inch thick. Cut out eight 3 inch squares, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with more parchment and another baking sheet. Chill in freezer until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Bake pastry in oven until crisp and lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Remove top parchment and baking sheet. Transfer, with bottom parchment, to a wire rack, and let cool.
• Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat until foam subsides. Add apples; cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Add remaining cinnamon mixture. Cook until apples are tender but not falling apart. Let cool completely. To assemble, top the pastry with whipped cream then apples; repeat with another layer of each. Serve immediately.

APPLE HASH NAPOLEON

Steps:

• Preheat convection oven to 275 degrees F.
• Cover a sheet pan with a silpat mat or parchment paper. Using a Japanese mandoline, julienne the apple into thin sticks, like potato sticks. Make little nests or haystacks of the sticks on the silpat, about 3 inches in diameter.
• Spatter the haystacks with melted clarified butter and douse with powdered sugar from a shaker. Bake in a convection oven until dry and crisp, about 60 to 75 minutes. Or use a fruit dehydrator to dry them out. Store them in an airtight container until ready to serve.
• To make the sauce, place the cider in a small saucepan, and bring it to a simmer. Continue cooking until it becomes a thick golden syrup, about 1 hour. Let cool until ready to serve. You can refrigerate it if made the day before.
• To serve the dessert, place one apple hash on a dessert plate, top it with a scoop of ice cream, then carefully place another piece of hash on top as a lid. Press down gently. Spoon a "swoosh" of cider reduction on the plate and sprinkle the whole thing with powdered sugar.
• Put a large mixing bowl in the freezer to chill.
• In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the half-and-half, cream, vanilla bean, and star anise to a simmer, stirring occasionally to make sure the mixture doesn?t burn or stick to the bottom of the pan.
• In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. When the cream mixture reaches a fast simmer turn it off, do not let it boil!
• In a thin stream, whisk half of it into the egg yolk mixture. Then pour the egg-cream mixture into the saucepan containing the rest of the cream mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. At 160 degrees F, the mixture will give off a puff of steam. When the mixture reaches 180 degrees, it will be thickened and creamy, like eggnog. If you don?t have a thermometer, test it by dipping a wooden spoon into the mixture. Run your finger down the back of the spoon. If the stripe remains clear, the mixture is ready, if the edges blur, it is not quite thick enough yet. When it is ready, quickly remove from the heat.
• Meanwhile, remove the bowl from the freezer, put 4 handfuls of ice cubes in the bottom, and add cold water to cover. Rest a smaller bowl in the ice water.
• Strain the cream mixture through a fine sieve to remove the vanilla bean pieces and star anise, into a smaller bowl. Stir in the homemade applesauce and chill 3 hours, then freeze according to the directions for your ice cream maker.
• Recipe courtesy Gale Gand, "American Brasserie? by Gale Gand, Rick Tramonto, Julia Moskin, MacMillian, Publishers, 1997

SPICED APPLE NAPOLEONS WITH POMEGRANATE CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix 2 tablespoons sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon in small bowl. Place 1 phyllo sheet on work surface. Brush with half of melted butter. Sprinkle with half of cinnamon sugar. Top with second phyllo sheet. Brush with remaining butter. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar. Cut phyllo lengthwise in half; place 1 half atop other. Cut phyllo crosswise into 3 squares. Cut each square into 4 triangles for a total of 12 triangles. Place triangles on large baking sheet. Bake until deep golden, about 8 minutes. Cool on sheet.
• Stir 1/2 cup sugar, 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 cup water and allspice in large saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and bring to boil. Add apples; reduce heat and simmer until tender, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Mix in bourbon. Mix cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water in small bowl; add to apple mixture and stir until liquid thickens slightly and mixture boils, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. (Phyllo triangles and apple mixture can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Cover separately. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm apple mixture over low heat before using.)
• Stir 1/2 cup water and brown sugar in heavy small saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil until slightly reduced, about 6 minutes. Add pomegranate molasses and boil until syrupy, about 4 minutes. Cool. Place 1 phyllo triangle on each of 6 plates. Top each with warm apple mixture. Top each with another phyllo triangle. Drizzle pomegranate sauce over.

APPLE PIE NAPOLEON

Steps:

• Bake apple pie per package instructions. Let cool. Once cooled, break up pie with a fork.
• Thaw puff pastry sheet at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Unfold puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 3 strips along the fold marks. Place strips 2-inches apart on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden. Remove from baking sheet and cool on a wire rack.
• In a small bowl combine whipped topping and cinnamon sugar. Set aside.
• In a small mixing bowl, beat on low speed with an electric mixer the cream cheese and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Add caramel creme liqueur and beat until smooth.
• Place one baked puff pastry sheet on a platter. With the back of a fork, gently push down center of the pastry creating a trough for filling. Spoon in some broken-up apple pie, and then layer with 1 cup of whipped topping mixture. Repeat with next layer. Top with baked pastry sheet. Drizzle with glaze and serve.

NAPOLEONS

Steps:

• On a lightly floured surface roll out the pastry to 1/16-inch thick. Transfer pastry to a parchment-lined sheet pan and trim edges. With a fork prick surface all over and chill for 30 minutes. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Cover pastry with a second piece of parchment paper and weight down with a second sheet pan. Bake pastry for 10 minutes. Remove top sheet pan and parchment and continue to bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer pastry to a cooling rack.
• Make the filling: In a heavy saucepan combine the heavy cream, milk, and sugar. Using a knife scrape the seeds of the vanilla bean into the milk mixture and add the whole bean. Bring to a boil. Remove pan from heat and allow to steep for one hour. Discard the bean or reserve for another use.
• Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees. Whisk the yolks into the cooled milk mixture and strain through a fine sieve into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Place the dish in a larger roasting pan and add enough hot water to reach halfway up the side of the dish. Bake custard for 3/4 to 1 hour until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. let cool; cover and chill for several hours or overnight. To assemble: Transfer pastry to a flat surface. Using a ruler measure out three 3 1/2 x 11-inch strips. With a serrated knife carefully cut the pastry using a gentle sawing motion. With a paring knife cut the custard into two 3 1/2 x 11-inch strips and cut each strip in half crosswise. With a long, wide offset spatula transfer a piece of custard onto a strip of pastry, covering half of it. Transfer a second piece of custard to fill the first layer. Top with a second strip of pastry, smooth side up, and repeat process. If necessary, smooth the sides of the napoleon with a knife so that they are stacked neatly.
• Using a serrated knife carefully slice the napoleon into individual serving pieces. Sift confectioner's sugar over the napoleon to form a thick coating. Heat skewers on stovetop burner until red-hot and brand the sugar with cross hatch marks.
• Recommended drink: 1993 Passito di Pantelleria, Nuova Agricoltura