Heart Shaped Raspberry Napoleons Recipes

HEART-SHAPED RASPBERRY NAPOLEONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Place puff pastry on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and poke holes all over surface using the tines of a fork; top with a second piece of parchment paper. Place 2 baking sheets on top of parchment paper to weigh down; transfer to oven. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Remove puff pastry from oven and uncover; let cool completely. Using a 3 1/4-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut six hearts from puff pastry, reserving scraps.
• Fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain round tip with pastry cream. Place 1 heart-shaped piece of puff on each of two dessert plates. Pipe pastry cream over the surface of each heart, almost to the edge. Place raspberries around the perimeter of the pastry cream. Top each with a second puff pastry heart and repeat process. Top each with a third puff pastry heart.
• Crumble a little of the reserved puff pastry scraps and top Napoleons with crumbs. Dust tops with confectioners' sugar and pipe a little pastry cream in the center of each. Top with a raspberry and serve immediately.

RASPBERRY NAPOLEON

Steps:

• Unfold sheet of Puff Pastry (1) and using a heart shaped cookie cutter, cut out 4 hearts.
• Using a smaller heart shaped cutter, make a mark inside the bigger heart cut out. Don't cut all the way through, you're just trying to make a marking you can see later.
• Place the puff pastry hearts on a cookie sheet, lined with wax paper. And bake at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) for 10 to 12 minutes until golden and crispy.
• In the mean time, dissolve Granulated Sugar (1/2 cup) in 2-3 tablespoons of water and bring to a bubble.
• Throw in 5 or 6 Fresh Raspberry (5) and crush them so they color and flavor the syrup.
• Dissolve Corn Starch (1 tablespoon) in a little bit of water and when the syrup starts boiling and thickening slightly, add in cornstarch mixture. Let it boil a little and then lower the heat.
• When the syrup is thick, turn off the heat and toss in the remaining Fresh Raspberry (20) and coat them in the syrupy goodness.
• In a mixing bowl, add the Strawberry Cream Cheese (1/2 cup) and Granulated Sugar (2 tablespoon) and mix well.
• Fold in the Whipped Cream (1 cup) to make the filling light and fluffy.
• To assemble the dessert, start by cutting out where the inner heart was marked earlier.
• Spoon some of the cream mix in the heart cavity.
• Then top with some raspberries. Repeat the layers again.
• Dust Powdered Confectioners Sugar (to taste) over the top of the raspberries and you can place the heart you cut out on top too. Enjoy!

CRISP MERINGUE HEART NAPOLEONS

Steps:

• A day before you plan to serve the dessert, heat the oven to 300 degrees for at least 15 minutes, then turn it off and leave the door closed. Whip the egg whites until foamy in a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Add the granulated sugar and whip until stiff and glossy, about 3 minutes. Add the confectioners' sugar and whip very briefly (I count to 10), just to incorporate.
• Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag with a medium plain tip and pipe small hearts with 2 teardrop shaped strokes onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Place the pan in the turned-off oven, close the door, and leave overnight to dry until crisp. (The recipe can be made up to this point and stored at room temperature in an airtight container up to 5 days in advance.)
• When ready to serve, whip the cream and place in a pastry bag with a star tip. Place 1 meringue heart on a plate then pipe on cream. Top with raspberries and a final meringue. Tuck a mint leaf into each, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

RASPBERRY NAPOLEONS DESSERT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Roll out 1 puff pastry sheet on a floured work surface until it is 1/4-inch thick. Cut into 16 squares. Transfer to a baking sheet and prick all over with a fork. Repeat with remaining puff pastry sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned on the top and bottom, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool, about 10 minutes.
• Combine cream cheese, white sugar, heavy cream, and lemon zest in a bowl. Mix by hand until smooth and glossy. Dollop cream cheese mixture over 16 squares. Spread out cream cheese mixture and cover with raspberries. Top with the remaining puff pastry squares and dust with confectioners' sugar.

CHOCOLATE AND RASPBERRY HEART NAPOLEONS

Steps:

• Line a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside. Place raspberries (if using fresh raspberries, reserve 1/2 cup for garnish) in a medium skillet over medium heat. Simmer until raspberries begin to break down and liquid is released, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer raspberries to a food processor, and puree, about 20 seconds. Pass through a fine sieve. Set aside to cool.
• Fill a large bowl with ice and water; set aside. Bring a stockpot 1/4 full of water to a boil. Let simmer. In a medium stainless-steel bowl, whisk together egg yolks, 2 tablespoons sugar, corn syrup, and kirsch or champagne; place over simmering water. Whisking constantly, cook until mixture thickens (when whisk is lifted over the mixture, the ribbonlike trail it leaves on the surface should hold its shape for 1 or 2 seconds), about 4 minutes. Transfer bowl to the ice-water bath; whisk mixture while it cools. Add 3/4 cup raspberry puree to mixture; whisk to combine. Set aside.
• In an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on high speed until frothy, about 30 seconds. While mixer is running, gradually add remaining 6 tablespoons sugar; beat until very stiff, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Transfer mixture to a bowl. Beat cream with whisk attachment until stiff; fold into egg whites.
• Fold raspberry mixture into egg whites and cream. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan; cover with plastic wrap. Transfer to the freezer; freeze until hardened, at least 4 hours. This can be prepared up to 2 days in advance.
• To make the raspberry sauce, stir superfine sugar into the remaining raspberry puree (about 2 tablespoons). Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• To serve, use a heart-shaped cookie cutter (2 1/2 inches across at the widest point) to cut out four hearts from the semifreddo. Divide the raspberry sauce between two dessert plates. Place a chocolate heart, off center, on top of the raspberry sauce. Place a semifreddo heart on each chocolate heart, and repeat layering until there are three layers of chocolate and two layers of semifreddo, ending with a chocolate heart. Garnish with reserved fresh raspberries (if using), and sift confectioners' sugar over the raspberries, if desired.