Good recipe for French Napoleons?

Question

I have been looking all over the internet for a good recipe for Napoleons. All I can find is web pages about Napoleon Bonaparte!

I would really like to make these for my Christmas party but the recipes I do find are not for traditional napoleons but for completely different takes on the classic desert.

Please help me!!!!

Answer 1

The link below gives a recipe for the type of pastry I think of for Napoleons...with the vanilla not chocolate filling!

I can't find my mother's recipe, but this sounds right. Hope you enjoy and Merry Christmas!

Answer 2

Ingredients:

1 lb. Pre-made Puff Pastry (refrigerated or frozen - both are good!)
4 cups Whole Milk
2/3 cup Granulated Sugar
1/3 cup Flour
7 oz. Butter (room temperature)
2 tbsp. Cornstarch
2 Vanilla Beans
10 Egg Yolks
Additional Flour to roll out pastry crust
Additional Butter for baking sheet (or use parchment paper as a lining)
Powdered Sugar to decorate

How to Make It:

Preheat oven to 400°F
1. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry into a large rectangle that you will be able to cut into three even parts (once cooked, not now!). Transfer rolled out pastry onto a baking sheet (lightly buttered or else lined with parchment paper). Prick top of pastry with a fork. Cover pastry with a layer of parchment paper and place another baking sheet, of the same size, on top, to keep pastry flat. If you don't have another baking sheet, just pour rice or any dried bean over the top. Put in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
2. Remove pastry from the refrigerator and bake (with either the additional baking sheet on top, or with the rice/beans on top) for ten minutes. Take out of oven, remove baking sheet (or rice/beans) and remove top layer of parchment paper. Put back in oven for another 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool off entirely before spreading on cream filling.
3. As your pastry is baking, you can prepare the cream filling. In a large saucepan combine the yolks and sugar and stir well. Then stir in flour, and cornstarch.
4. Cut vanilla beans in half lengthwise, and scrape out the seeds into the mixture and stir well.
5. Slowly stir in the milk until homogenous. Put the cream filling on the stove (light heat) and very gently bring to a simmer -- when you see small bubbles, take it off the heat and refrigerate.
6. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter so that it rises. Gently mix in the rest of the cream filling.
7. Once the pastry has cooled, cut it carefully (serrated knife works best) into three even parts. Using a spoon and a spatula spread a thick layer of cream filling on two parts of pastry crust. Stack these two layers and cover with the third (top) pastry piece. Sprinkle top with powdered sugar. Refrigerate until serving.

Answer 3

Variation of napoleon:

INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter or margarine, softened, divided
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cups finely crushed graham cracker crumbs
1 cup flaked coconut
3 tablespoons milk
1 (3.4 ounce) package instant pistachio or lemon pudding mix
2 cups confectioners' sugar
TOPPING:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons butter or margarine



DIRECTIONS
In a double boiler, combine 1/2 cup butter, sugar, cocoa and vanilla; cook and stir until butter is melted. Add egg; cook and stir until mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Stir in crumbs and coconut. Press into a greased 9-in. square baking pan. In a mixing bowl, cream remaining butter. Add milk, pudding mix and confectioners' sugar; beat until fluffy. Spread over crust. Refrigerate until firm, 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Melt chocolate chips and butter; cool. Spread over pudding layer. Refrigerate. Cut into bars.

Answer 4

I love Napoleons and have not had one since Vegas, last summer. Please send me 4 of them when you find out how to make them because I am craving them big time!

Answer 5

French Napoleons
8 Servings

2 c Sifted flour
1/2 ts Salt
1/2 c Ice water
1 c Butter

CREAM FILLING
2/3 c Sugar
5 Tbps flour
1/4 ts Salt
2 c Milk
2 Eggs, slightly beaten
1 ts Vanilla extract
3/4 c Butter, softened

FROSTING
1 c Sifted confectioners' sugar
1 tb Cold milk
4 oz Semisweet chocolate, melted

To make pastry, shift flour and salt together into bowl. Gradually add ice water, tossing moistened parts aside gently so that dough is not overmixed. Stir just until blended. Cover dough with waxed paper and let stand about 20 minutes at room temperature.

Roll dough out on a lightly floured board into a rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. Cut butter into 1/4-inch squares. Arrange on pastry so that squares are equidistant from each other. Fold pastry into thirds crosswise by folding right and left sides over the center. Let rest about 10
minutes.

Roll out pastry to 1/4 inch thickness. Fold again in thirds crosswise, then roll out pastry again to 1/4-inch thickness; fold in thirds again.

Wrap lightly in waxed paper and refrigerate about 10 minutes. Reroll
and fold two more times, chilling dough 10 minutes each rolling.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Roll dough into an oblong about 16 inches wide and 1/4-inch thick. Cut lengthwise into 2 sections about 8 inches wide. Cut in half crosswise.

Place on baking sheet lined with brown paper. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

To make filling, combine sugar, flour, and salt in top of double boiler. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly. Cook over boiling water, stirring constantly, until thickened. Cover and cook for 10 minutes longer.

Stir 2 tablespoons of hot milk mixture into eggs; slowly add eggs to double boiler with remaining milk mixture, stirring constantly. Cook over hot but not boiling water, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool. Stir in vanilla. Refrigerate until chilled.

Cream butter in bowl; gradually beat in chilled cream filling. Refrigerate until chilled. Spread 2 pastry sections with this filling; cut remaining 2 sections into 2-inch-wide strips. Place strips on top of filling; cut through filling and bottom section of pastry.

Combine confectioners' sugar and milk; stir until smooth. Spread on top of pastry layers. Swirl chocolate on top of frosting.