Napoleon Of Saint Pierre Recipes

MILLE FEUILLE (NAPOLEON PASTRY SHEETS)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with a silicone sheet.
• Separate dough at the seams into 4 squares and place on prepared baking sheet. Score the dough all over with the tines of a fork to prevent it from rising too much when baking. Lightly sprinkle dough sheets with white granulated sugar.
• Cover with a sheet of parchment paper and 3 sheets of aluminum foil. Nest another baking sheet on top to apply some pressure to the dough while it bakes.
• Bake in preheated oven 15 minutes; remove top pan and foil and gently peel off the parchment paper. Return pan to oven and bake until pastry is beautifully browned, 10 to 15 minutes. (Optionally, you can bake about 7 minutes after uncovering, then flip sheets over and bake until brown on the other side, another 7 minutes.)
• Transfer to cooling rack and cool completely before cutting.
• Square the sheets by trimming uneven edges off sheets using a sharp serrated knife with light sawing motion to keep the pastry from breaking. Cut each rectangle crosswise into 3 equal smaller rectangles. Use 3 small rectangles per pastry.

CLASSIC FRENCH NAPOLEONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
• On a well-floured countertop, stack both pieces of thawed puff pastry on top of each other. Roll into a 12"x12" square. Cut into three equal 4"x12" rectangles. Prick the dough every 2 inches with a fork.
• Lay the rectangles onto the prepared baking sheet. Place a sheet of parchment paper on top of the rectangles. Next, place a second baking sheet directly on top of parchment paper. Set a large oven-safe dish on top of this second baking sheet in order to weigh it down. (Note: This step ensures that the pastry rectangles bake flat and do not puff up too much in the oven.)
• Bake rectangles at 425°F for 10 minutes.
• Remove the dish, extra baking sheet and top piece of parchment paper. Return the rectangles to the oven and bake for 6-8 more minutes, or until golden brown. Set baked rectangles aside to cool. (Note: The sheets will puff up in this last stage, but they will deflate again once baked.)

NAPOLEON OF SAINT PIERRE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Peel the potatoes and trim each into a long, cylindrical shape. Using a mandoline or a good kitchen slicer, cut the potatoes into paper-thin disks.
• Brush a cookie sheet with melted butter and arrange the potatoes, overlapping them by about a third, to create squares of potatoes. Press down firmly on the potatoes to help them stick together. Make 8 potato squares. Drizzle them with the remaining butter and season with salt and pepper. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are golden brown. Carefully lift off the pan with a spatula. Set aside.
• Lower the oven to 200 degrees.
• Fill a bowl with water and ice and set aside. Core the tomatoes and score the underside with an "X." Bring a pot of water to the boil and add the tomatoes, cooking for 5 seconds. Remove the tomatoes and immediately place in the bowl of ice water. Remove and peel the tomatoes. Place the tomato skins on a cookie sheet.
• Bake the tomato skins until brittle, about 20 minutes. Remove and roughly chop the dried peels. Reserve.
• Raise the oven to 250 degrees. Slice the peeled tomatoes in half crosswise and remove the seeds. Place the tomato halves cut side down on a pan lined with aluminum foil. Drizzle with 3 teaspoons of virgin olive oil, the crushed garlic and 2 sprigs of thyme. Season with salt and pepper.
• Bake the tomatoes for 2 hours.
• Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette by whisking together 1/3 cup of olive oil, the lemon juice, juniper berries, tarragon leaves, 2 sprigs of thyme, salt and pepper to taste and the dried tomato skins. Set aside.
• Season the fish with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. In a saute pan, melt the butter and add the fillets, cooking two to three minutes on each side. Remove and set aside.
• Season the steamed spinach with salt and pepper to taste.
• Place the vinaigrette in a small pot and heat until just warmed. Assemble the dish by placing some spinach on a plate, a tomato half on top, then a fish fillet and one crisp potato square. Repeat layering. Repeat with other plates. Drizzle with vinaigrette around the perimeter of the plate.