Quick Napoleon Dessert Recipes

!±8± Quick Napoleon Dessert Recipes

A traditional Napoleon is a French dessert made from layers of puff pastry spread with a vanilla pastry cream. The top of the rectangle or triangular shaped sweet is drizzled with chocolate and or dusted with powdered sugar. Historians say that the Napoleon was created by a Danish royal chef in honor of a visit by a French emperor. And that Emperor Bonaparte's defeat at Waterloo was the result of an overindulgence of his now famous namesake pastry.

You may have a hard time distinguishing after eating a Napoleon what part is the best part. Is it the puff pastry or the pastry cream? I think all of the flavor combinations work very well together, so, I say all of it! This is a very quick and easy dessert recipe, and you will not spend all day in the kitchen. We are going to take the shortcut method and make it work for our recipe.

Making puff pastry from scratch is not an easy task to undertake. It is a labor and time intensive endeavor. Perfectly chilled ingredients, repeated rolling to the correct thickness, and precision folding are the keys to faultless puff pastry. Not to mention working in a kitchen that is not humid. The meticulous rolling and folding, along with the moisture in the butter, creates steam which causes the dough to puff and separate into the flaky layers that the pastry is known for. Some chef's recommend anywhere from thirty minutes to two hours chilling time between rolling and folding. Consider that the roll, fold and chill process is done four times, you need to block off two to eight hours to make puff pastry. Or, take a trip to the frozen food section of the grocery store and buy it.

Ready made puff pastry is available in sheets or shells. To thaw it at room temperature takes about thirty minutes, in the refrigerator about four hours. It will keep in the refrigerator up to two days. When shaping the dough, work with one sheet at a time, refrigerating remaining sheets until ready to use. As with all dough handle as little as possible. A pastry wheel, pizza cutter or sharp knife are the best utensils for cutting the dough. Cut edges should be crisp to keep the layers separate so that they puff during baking. Always bake puff pastry in a conventional oven and keep in mind that darker baking sheets cook faster.

Vanilla pastry cream is the standard filling for a Napoleon. This is a very short recipe for making quick Napoleons.

1 Package of frozen puff pastry dough

2 Packages of Vanilla instant pudding

1 Bottle of a good chocolate fudge or chocolate drizzle

3 Ounces of confectioners sugar

Prepare instant pudding according to package directions. While pudding is chilling follow directions for thawing, unfolding and baking puff pastry sheets. Cut into desired shape at bake at 400° for twelve minutes or until golden. Pay close attention to baking time, sheets burn easily. Let cool to room temperature.

To assemble you will place a layer of pastry in bottom of a sheet pan. You will then gently spread with a layer of pudding, then another layer of pastry. Repeat the layering process until ingredients are used up. You will then heat your chocolate fudge until it is at a pouring consistency. You will pour or drizzle over the tops of your Napoleons, and dust very lightly with the confectioners sugar. You will need a serrated knife to cut these into bars to sreve. Keep refrigerated until serving time.

If you want to substitute a low fat, or zero fat pudding in this recipe, there is still enough sugar to give it flavor with half or no fat in the pudding.

Quick Napoleon Dessert Recipes

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Mini Cheesecake Bites (Puff Pastry Recipe)

!±8± Mini Cheesecake Bites (Puff Pastry Recipe)

Learn how to make this crowd pleasing dessert. Watch this video to see how simple it is to make extraordinary, inspired dishes with Puff Pastry. ©2008 Pepperidge Farm, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Mini Cheesecake Bites (Puff Pastry Recipe)

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Bridal Shower Menu - Wine & Cheese Party

!±8± Bridal Shower Menu - Wine & Cheese Party

A wine and cheese party may be the quintessential choice for an elegant bridal shower party. Women love to nibble and graze and putting out a beautiful spread of cheeses, crackers, fruit and wine (along with some bite size desserts) is just perfect. It is the selection and variety of these items that will set your party apart and above the typical wine and cheese party.

The Cheese:

You'll want to offer at least four types of cheeses. It is important to vary the taste and texture of these, as well as the aesthetics.  My recommendation would be a good Cheddar (white or yellow), a blue (Maytag blue is a nice choice if you don't want anything too strong), a soft cheese such as Camembert (make sure you bring it to room temperature so that it is at its creamiest when served) and a Gouda. Put a tented place card in front of each cheese with its name on it - your guests will want to know what they are sampling.

I recommend putting a jar of fig preserves (if you can't find fig, you can use raspberry) next to the Camembert cheese. Crackers topped with preserves and a bit of Camembert is absolutely scrumptious.

I also love to serve a 'melted' cheese, either in fondue form or better yet - a brie en croute. The later is a round of brie cheese wrapped in puff pastry and baked until golden. I like to first cut the brie in half (top and bottom - NOT side by side). On the bottom half I spread a thin layer of peach jam, chopped pecans, a teaspoon of brown sugar and just a teeny dash of cayenne. Put the top half over it and then wrap it in the pastry. This can be made a day in advance (not baked though) - just cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to bake. 

The Crackers:

Make sure you vary the crackers you put out - just like the cheeses. A butter cracker (such as Keebler Townhouse®), a seeded flat bread cracker and hearty a whole wheat cracker makes for a nice assortment. If you can find other interesting crackers, by all means, include them.

Fruit:

Of course grapes are a perfect compliment and a 'must' for a wine and cheese party. Make sure you serve at least two colors of grapes (green and red). Set out in bunches is how they look the loveliest. But don't stop there - pears are also a natural. Cut the pears into slices right before the guest comes and rub a lemon over their surface to help prevent them turning brown. Cantaloupe and honeydew melons are also a natural compliment. Either cut into thin slices or into cubes.  I also love to put out bowls of pomegranate seeds. Not only are they beautiful to look at - they are a delicacy for most.

The Wine:

Like everything else - serve a variety. Two whites and two reds are perfect.   For the white - offer one on the sweeter side (perhaps a Riesling) and one more on the dry and crisp side (a Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc).   As for the red choices - try one on the 'lighter' side (Pinot Noir or Beaujolais Nouveau are good choices) and a full bodied one (a French Bordeaux or Californian Cab would be perfect). Of course make sure there are non-alcoholic beverages too - whether water, club soda or the like.

Sweets:

Keeping with the theme of the party - bite size nibbles such as miniature cheesecake bites, chocolates (truffles and caramels) and/or small biscotti all would work well. These can be set out from the start - no need to 'serve' this after the wine and cheese. Coffee and tea should also be served.

Diva Entertains, copyright 2009

Bridal Shower Menu - Wine & Cheese Party

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How to Make Guava and Cheese Pastry | Pastelito Video Recipe by IMUSA and Ana Quincoces

!±8± How to Make Guava and Cheese Pastry | Pastelito Video Recipe by IMUSA and Ana Quincoces

Guava and Brie Cheese Pastry is a tweaked up Guava and Cream Cheese Bread. Join IMUSA's Chef Ana Quincoces while she shows us how to create this traditional recipe in the IMUSA Caldero and Saute Pan that is will for sure entertain and impress your guests!

How to Make Guava and Cheese Pastry | Pastelito Video Recipe by IMUSA and Ana Quincoces

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What Is a Wheat Berry?

!±8± What Is a Wheat Berry?

Wheat is one of the oldest and most important crops in the world. Second only to rice, it is the main staple for much of the world. Wheat kernels have been used since the beginning of time, and they have been seen in instances of ancient art, and language. For many people it is used every single day of their lives, often whether they realize it or not.

A wheat kernel is a seed produced by the wheat plant. A wheat kernel is often called a wheat berry by nutritionists and health nuts. The kernel is the simplistic form of wheat, and comes in a variety of colors. Most commonly red and white in color, and rated as soft or hard kernels.

Wheat kernels can last for years if they are stored in a cool, dry place. This makes it one of the more sustainable crops, if treated correctly.

Wheat berries are much more elaborate than they look, and are made up of several parts that give them the nutrients, and flavor our bodies need. Wheat kernels have vitamins A, which helps with our vision, immune systems, and skin; Vitamin B, which reduces cancers, helps with our immune system, and promotes cell growth, and Vitamin E. Pretty impressive, isn't it?

The outside of the wheat kernel is the bran, and if you've ever had bathroom issues, you've probably been recommended bran cereals to provide fiber. Wheat germ is the "life" of the wheat kernel, and the main particle that allows wheat to sprout. The endosperm is a word that you may recall from middle school biology, and that's the last part key factor in the makings of a wheat kernel; the endosperm is the part of the wheat berry that contains all the starch.

When you take the time to think about it, it's really amazing what one kernel is made up of. Like the snow flake, no wheat kernel is the same. There are over fifteen thousand varieties of wheat that are grown in the United States, and they are all based around harvest times, colors, and what they can be used for. When many of us think about wheat, a loaf of bread is probably what pops into our minds, but what about pastries, pasta, oatmeal, and flour? These all originate from a different type of wheat, grown at a different time!

What Is a Wheat Berry?

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Making A Perfect Vanilla Slice

!±8± Making A Perfect Vanilla Slice

Making a thick, rich and creamy vanilla slice might seem to be a herculean task, but it is not. With a little care and some practice, you can easily make a perfect vanilla slice. You just need to get the proper ingredients, and handle them carefully with patience. That is the only trick behind getting the perfect vanilla slice that you can be proud of. It is important not to lose your confidence if it doesn't turn out to be perfect in shape, and remember that in the end it is the taste that matters. If you can't get the shape perfect you can always do better with the next one.

So let us start with the recipe! Here are the ingredients that you will need:

-->Half-a-cup of custard powder
-->Three-fourths of a cup of cornstarch
-->One small cup of white sugar
-->One 17 1/4 package of a frozen puff pastry
-->Five cups of milk
-->Quarter cup of butter
-->One tablespoon of milk
-->One teaspoon of vanilla essence
-->A dash of vanilla essence
-->Two eggs
-->One cup of sugar

To begin with, check that the pastry sheets are thawed, so that they won't break at the lightest touch. In a pre-heated oven (up to 200 degrees C), put in some baking sheets for around 15 minutes.

Then, you need to get a large saucepan for mixing in the ingredients together. Begin by mixing the cornstarch, sugar and custard powder, along with some milk which you need to pour in little by little. After you get a paste-like look with the mixture, pour in some more milk and add the butter as well. Put the mixture on a medium flame, and stir for around three minutes. You should begin to see a thick mixture forming in the saucepan.

Now it is time to add the vanilla essence and the egg yolks to the mixture. We're getting close to the final steps now.

Get a 9-inch baking dish and cover it carefully with a foil. Lay one of the baking sheets on the baking dish. Now pour out the mixture onto the sheet slowly, and make sure that it is even. Then put another pastry sheet on top of the mixture.

Now it is time to prepare the icing. Take a small bowl and mix some milk, a dash of vanilla and confectioners' sugar together. Use a knife to spread this icing on the pastry sheet at the top. Watch your grip.

The dish is almost ready. Now you just have to place the baking dish in the refrigerator until the custard is firm and steady. Once you are sure that it has indeed been done, all you need to do is take out the dish, and serve the delicious vanilla slice to someone with a good appetite. It's just that simple! It might take more than one serving to help you get the perfect shape, but you shouldn't give up if you don't get it right the first time.

Making A Perfect Vanilla Slice

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Cooking with Johan - Baked Brie

!±8± Cooking with Johan - Baked Brie

Johan shows us how to do an easy baked brie for the holidays.

Cooking with Johan - Baked Brie

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Easy Shortcrust Pastry Recipe

!±8± Easy Shortcrust Pastry Recipe

This simple pastry is very adaptable and can be used for all kinds of dishes, both sweet and savory, yet it is very easy to make. All you need is some flour, some fat or shortening, and a little bit of water and salt. Once you have made this a few times, other forms of pastry such as flaky, puff and even hot water crust will hold no fear for you, and you'll be baking like a pro.

The basic proportions of ingredients for this pastry never change: one part fat to two parts flour, so it is very easy to multiply quantities, however much pastry you need. Traditionally, you blend the flour and the fat with your fingertips so that the fat doesn't melt with your body heat, but it's much easier and equally effective to use a food mixer.

Ingredients:

8oz/225grams plain/all-purpose flour 4oz/110grams cold butter, lard, dripping or any hard fat, or combination of these A pinch of salt, and pepper if it suits your recipe A little cold water - how much is a little? See method below.

Method:

Sift the flour and salt into the bowl. Add the pepper, if using. Cut the fat into small pieces, or grate, and add to the flour. Mix well. All traditional pastry recipes say "until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs", but if it is a hot day or your fat is slightly soft, it may form a more dough-like consistency: don't worry, it will still work.

Continue to mix, and begin to add the water, no more than a tablespoon at a time. Stop adding water as soon as the dough comes together and pulls away from the side of the bowl. The more water you add, the tougher the cooked pastry becomes, so only use the minimum necessary. A good test is to pull a piece of the dough between your fingertips: if it breaks, add a little more water, if it stretches, then it is perfect.

Refrigerate for at least half an hour; this minimises shrinkage when cooking. Now use your pastry in your recipe, or make this simple pie.

Lightly grease a small pie dish, and dust with flour. Roll out two-thirds of the pastry, and line the dish with it, leaving a good margin overhanging, which can be trimmed after cooking. Prick all over with a fork. Line the pastry with crumpled kitchen foil, and bake for twenty minutes in a medium oven. Remove the foil, and bake for a further ten to fifteen minutes, until the pastry is dry. Add your filling, which may be pre-cooked, and brush the edges of the base with milk or beaten egg. Roll out the remaining pastry for the lid, pressing down well at the joins. Prick a few holes to let out the steam, then brush all over with the milk or egg wash. Bake for a further 30-40 minutes. Trim edges and serve.

Easy Shortcrust Pastry Recipe

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