Red Velvet Napoleons With Raspberries Recipes

RASPBERRY NAPOLEONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out puff pastry to a 10-by-15-inch rectangle. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Prick pastry all over with a fork. Cover completely with another sheet of parchment paper; weight with another baking sheet (same size or slightly smaller) to prevent pastry from puffing up unevenly. Bake, occasionally pressing top sheet down, until pastry is golden, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove top sheet and parchment, and let pastry cool.
• Transfer pastry to a cutting board. With a serrated knife, carefully trim and discard edges; cut into 12 equal pieces.
• Dividing evenly, put a large dollop of pudding (2 to 3 tablespoons) on 8 of the 12 pastry pieces; top with raspberries and a little more pudding.
• Assemble napoleons on serving plates: For each napoleon, stack two pieces of pastry already topped with pudding and raspberries, then top with a plain piece. Dust lightly with confectioners' sugar.
• Make Raspberry Sauce (optional): In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup raspberry jam and 1 tablespoon water; pass through a fine-mesh sieve. Thin with additional water if needed.
• Garnish plate with Raspberry Sauce, if desired.

RED VELVET NAPOLEONS WITH RASPBERRIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• Unfold the puff pastry and place 1 sheet on each of 2 baking sheets. Top each with another sheet of parchment weighed down with a baking sheet topped with a ceramic baking dish. Bake until the pastry is crisp and golden brown, 22 to 25 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and switch the oven to broil. Carefully cut each puff pastry sheet with a serrated knife into 9 rectangles, each about 2-by-5 inches; dust the tops with superfine sugar. Bake the pastry, uncovered, until crisp and caramelized, watching carefully and rotating the baking sheets--this is quick, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Alternatively, you can use a kitchen torch. Remove from the oven and let cool on wire racks. Transfer the cooled pastry to a cutting board.
• In a large bowl with a hand mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the melted chocolate, butter, cream cheese, the 4 cups confectioners' sugar and the vanilla until light and fluffy. Color as desired with the food coloring then transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe round little blobs onto 6 of the pastry rectangles, covering the surface. Top with 6 more of the rectangles and repeat the piping. Top with the remaining 6 rectangles. Set a metal offset spatula over the center crosswise of each napoleon and dust the top with confectioners' sugar. Garnish each with 2 to 3 raspberries and a small edible flower.

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!

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.

CRISPY RICE CREPE NAPOLEONS WITH RASPBERRY RED-CHILI-PEPPER SORBET

Steps:

• To make the sorbet, place the peppers, granulated sugar and water in a blender and process until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, discard the solids and set the liquid aside. Place the raspberries in a food processor and process until pureed. Strain the puree through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing on the solids to extract as much puree as possible. Discard the solids. Place the puree in a bowl and whisk in the powdered sugar. Measure out and stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of the chili-and-sugar syrup, to taste. Refrigerate until chilled, and freeze according to the instructions for your ice-cream maker.
• To make the crepes, preheat the oven to 275 degrees. In a bowl, combine the rice flour and sugar. In another bowl, whisk together the egg whites, melted butter and hot water, and stir it into the flour and sugar. Keep stirring until the mixture is smooth.
• Place an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Brush it with clarified butter and pour in 2 tablespoons of the batter, swirling the pan to coat it evenly. Cook until the crepe is set but not brown, about 1 minute. Turn and cook the other side. Transfer to a plate and allow to cool slightly. Cut crepe into 4 wedges, and transfer to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Repeat until you have made 6 crepes. Brush them with clarified butter, sprinkle with granulated sugar and bake until crisp, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.
• To make the filling, combine the cream and rum, and whip until soft peaks form. Combine the coconut and sugar, and fold into the cream. Place the raspberries and granulated sugar in a bowl and mash with a fork until smooth.
• When ready to serve, place a wedge of crepe on a dessert plate and spread with a layer of coconut mixture, then with raspberry puree. Stack a second wedge on top, and add the coconut and raspberry layers. Repeat again, and top with the fourth wedge of crepe. Place a scoop of sorbet on the side.

STRAWBERRY NAPOLEONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Combine pudding mix and cold milk; fold in whipped topping. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Unfold pastry on a cool, lightly floured surface. Cut into 3 strips along fold marks, then cut each strip into four equal pieces. Place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet.
• Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. Remove from baking sheet, and cool.
• Split pastries into 2 layers, setting the 8 best looking tops aside. Spread 8 bottom layers with dollops of the pudding mixture. Top each with a layer of strawberries, a small amount of pudding, and another pastry layer. (A small amount of the pudding mix on top of the berries will help keep the layers together.) Spread with remaining pudding mixture and strawberries, and top with remaining pastry layers (the best looking ones). Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.

NAPOLEONS WITH BLACK RASPBERRIES

Steps:

• Prepare the Puff Pastry.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Sprinkle work surface with sugar. Roll dough into a rectangle 1/8 inch thick and, using a sharp knife or a pastry cutter, cut in half. Cut each half into thirds, keeping rectangles equal sized, each approximately 6 inches by 8 inches. Water-spray two baking sheets and place pastry rectangles on them. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Prick rectangles all over with fork tines. Place a wire rack over each set of pastry rectangles and bake until pastry reaches the top of the rack, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove rack and continue to bake until golden and evenly browned, about 5 to 10 minutes more. Cool completely on racks.
• Make pastry cream: Scald the milk, vanilla bean, and 1/4 cup sugar. Beat egg yolks with remaining sugar until thick. Sprinkle in flour and cornstarch, and continue beating until well mixed.
• Remove vanilla bean from milk. Beat half of the hot milk into yolk mixture. Return this to remaining hot milk and bring to a boil quickly, whisking very fast to prevent scorching. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl to cool. Rub top of pastry cream with butter to prevent a skin from forming. Cover with plastic wrap and cool completely. Immediately before using, fold in softly whipped cream with a wooden spoon.
• To assemble, slice each rectangle horizontally. Place each bottom half on a serving plate. Top with a 1/2-inch layer of pastry cream and berries. Place the top half on top of berries and repeat process with remaining rectangles. Sprinkle top layer with confectioners' sugar. Garnish with berries and serve immediately.

BERRY NAPOLEONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Roll out pastry on lightly floured surface to 12-inch square. Cut out two 4x5-inch rectangles and transfer to ungreased cookie sheet (reserve remaining pastry for another use). Brush pastries with glaze. Mix sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cardamom and sprinkle over pastries. Bake until puffed and brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool.
• Drain syrup from raspberries into heavy small saucepan. Boil until thickened slightly, about 4 minutes. Combine raspberries and sliced strawberries in small bowl. Add reduced syrup and remaining 1/4 teaspoon cardamom. (Berry mixture can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Split each pastry into 2 layers. Place bottoms on plates. Layer with frozen yogurt, some of berry mixture, then pastry tops. Spoon a few berries atop each pastry and serve.

RASPBERRY VELVET

Steps:

• Push the raspberries and preserves through a food mill, then strain through a fine-mesh strainer set over a stainless steel bowl to eliminate any remaining seeds. Or puree the berries with the preserves in a food processor, then strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Add the water and mix well. (You should have about 2 cups.)
• Place the bowl in the freezer and freeze, stirring every hour or so, until it is half frozen and velvety.
• Meanwhile, pour the lime juice into one small saucer and put the sugar in another. Dip the rims of four stemmed glasses (preferably tulip champagne glasses) into the lime juice and then into the sugar, to create a border. Place the glasses in the freezer or refrigerator until serving time.
• At serving time, divide the raspberry velvet among the prepared glasses and decorate each with a sprig of mint. Serve immediately.