Chocolate Almond Mousse Napoleons Recipes

CHOCOLATE ALMOND MOUSSE NAPOLEONS

Steps:

• Place one phyllo sheet on work surface; keep remaining phyllo sheets covered with plastic wrap and damp towel. Brush phyllo with melted butter; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar. Top with second phyllo sheet. Brush with butter; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar. Repeat with third phyllo sheet, butter and sugar. Cut stack into twelve 3-in. squares. Transfer stacks to a greased baking sheet, about 1 in. apart. Repeat with remaining 3 phyllo sheets, butter and sugar. Bake at 350° for 8-9 minutes or until golden brown. Watch carefully. Cool on wire racks., For filling, heat cream in a saucepan over medium heat until cream begins to simmer, about 160°; remove from the heat. Whisk in chocolate and extract until smooth; refrigerate until chilled. In a bowl, beat cream mixture until soft peaks form. Refrigerate until serving., For glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and salt. Add enough cream to achieve a spreading consistency. Spread over 8 squares of phyllo. Drizzle with melted chocolate chips. Set aside until serving., To serve, spread about 1/4 cup chocolate almond mousse over a square of phyllo. Add a second phyllo square and more mousse. Top with one of the glaze squares. Repeat with remaining phyllo, mousse and glazed phyllo. Serve immediately.

CENTERPIECE NAPOLEON WITH CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT MOUSSE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line 4 sheet pans with parchment paper.
• Crack the egg into a small bowl, then add 1 tablespoon water and beat until well mixed. Pour half into a separate small bowl. Add a few drops of red food coloring to the egg in one bowl and a few drops of yellow to the other.
• Unfold the puff pastry sheets and cut each into 3 rectangles, using the folded lines as a guide, for a total of 12 rectangles. Place 3 on each of the prepared sheet pans, leaving 2 to 3 inches in between each.
• Top each of two pans of puff pastry with a second piece of parchment and place a second sheet pan on top of the parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove the top sheet pans and top pieces of parchment. Return to the oven and bake until puffed and golden brown on the bottom, an additional 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely.
• Top the remaining two pans of unbaked puff pastry with parchment and sheet pans and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the top sheet pans and parchment. Brush these partially-baked rectangles with red egg wash on one end and yellow on the other, overlapping the two in the middle to create an orange section. Return to the oven to finish the baking, another 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely.
• Make the filling in two batches so that it will fit in the mixer. Add half the cream cheese and half the powdered sugar to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat until light. Add 3 cups heavy cream and beat to stiff peaks. Add half the chocolate hazelnut spread, then fold in using a rubber spatula until no streaks remain. Transfer to a piping bag or large resealable plastic bag fitted with a large closed-star tip and refrigerate until ready to use. Repeat the process with the second half of the filling ingredients, leaving this portion in the bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Split each of the puff pastry rectangles open horizontally using a serrated knife. Line up 6 of the bottom half puff pastry rectangles end-to-end down a long platter, using a dot of filling to secure to the platter if necessary. Pipe an even layer of filling down the puff pastry line. Top with 6 more puff pastry rectangles and repeat with filling and puff pastry twice more, refilling the piping bag as needed and ending with the colored puff pastry, lining them up with red ends touching. (See Cook's Note.)
• Drizzle the melted chocolate over the top of the puff pastry and top with broken pieces of Hazelnut Brittle.
• Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.
• Add the granulated sugar, corn syrup and 1 cup water to a medium saucepan and stir to combine. Cook over medium-high heat until the syrup begins to turn golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Continue to cook, swirling the pan gently, until the mixture is a deep amber color.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the nuts and salt. Pour immediately onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread into an even layer and let cool completely, then break into small pieces.

CARAMEL MOUSSE NAPOLEON WITH CARAMEL SAUCE AND BERRIES

Steps:

• Make pastry layers:
• Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Roll out 1 pastry sheet on lightly floured surface to 15x12-inch rectangle. Using small sharp knife and long ruler, trim sheet to 13x10-inch rectangle. Cut in half lengthwise, forming two 13x5-inch rectangles. Pierce rectangles all over with fork; transfer to 1 ungreased baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pastry sheet, transferring to another ungreased baking sheet. Brush rectangles with melted butter; sprinkle each with 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar.
• Bake pastries 8 minutes. Reverse position of baking sheets and bake until pastries are golden, about 8 minutes longer. Cool pastries on sheets.
• Make caramel sauce and mousse:
• Pour 3 tablespoons water into ramekin or custard cup. Sprinkle with gelatin; let soften while preparing caramel sauce.
• Combine sugar, corn syrup and 3/4 cup water in heavy large saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves, frequently brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush. Increase heat; boil without stirring until syrup turns deep golden brown, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Add 1 3/4 cups cream and butter (caramel will bubble up vigorously). Return to low heat; stir until any bits of caramel dissolve.
• Pour 1 1/2 cups caramel sauce into glass measuring cup; set aside pan of caramel sauce. Place ramekin with gelatin mixture in small skillet of simmering water. Stir until gelatin dissolves and mixture is clear, about 1 minute. Mix gelatin into measured 1 1/2 cups hot caramel; cool just to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
• Beat chilled whipping cream in large bowl to medium-firm peaks (do not overbeat). Gradually pour cooled caramel-gelatin mixture over cream, folding constantly but gently. Chill mousse 15 minutes.
• Assembly and final decoration:
• Arrange 3 pastry rectangles on large clean baking sheet; drizzle each with 2 tablespoons caramel from pan. Spread 1 cup mousse evenly over each rectangle. Chill until mousse begins to set, about 1 hour. Reserve plain pastry rectangle.
• Place 1 pastry layer with mousse on small baking sheet or board. Top with second layer, third layer, then plain pastry, aligning layers. Press assembled pastry lightly so that layers will adhere. Cover; chill at least 8 hours and up to 1 day. Cover and chill remaining caramel sauce in pan.
• Using serrated knife, cut pastry crosswise into 6 pieces. Dust napoleons with powdered sugar. Transfer to plates. Rewarm sauce over low heat just until pourable; drizzle sauce onto each plate. Garnish with berries.