Title: Roasted Strawberry Napoleon
Ingredients:
- 2 light corn syrup
- 1 all-purpose flour
- 2 frozen puff pastry
- 1/2 unsalted butter
- 14 vanilla bean
- 1 strawberries
- 2 granulated sugar
- 1 Grand Marnier
- 1/2 heavy cream
- 1 confectioners' sugar
- 1 pistachios
- 1 milk
- 2 oranges
- 1/4 sugar
- 1/2 vanilla bean
- 2 cornstarch
- 1 egg
- 1
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F Line a bakng pan with parchment paper, and set aside. Have another baking sheet, unlined, ready. In a small bowl, combine corn syrup with 1 tablespoons warm water; set aside.
2. Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour. Roll puff-pastry sheet into a 12-inch square; trim edges. Cut sheet on the fold lines, making three 4x12-inch rectangles. Place rectangles on lined pan. Top with another piece of parchment. Place the unlined pan on top of the filled pan. Bake puff pastry 8 minutes.
3. Remove the empty pan and top parchment, and return to oven. Bake until pastry starts to puff and is light-golden brown, about 8 minutes. Remove from oven; lightly brush with reserved corn-syrup mixture. Using a long metal spatula, gently flip rectangles. Brush again with corn syrup mixture. Bake until shiny and golden brown, about 9 minutes more. With the spatula, transfer puff pastry to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.
4. Increase oven temperature to 450°F Using a pastry brush, coat the bottom of a medium oven-proof sauté pan with 1 tablespoon butter; scraped vanilla seeds into butter. Place strawberries, cut side down, in pan, sprinkle with granulated sugar, and lay vanilla pod on top. Roast until strawberries start to "slump" and feel soft when squeezed, 10-12 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer all but 2 of the berries and vanilla pod to a plate to cool. Reserve juices in pan.
5. Set pan over high heat. If using Grand Marnier,add to pan, and light a match, carefully igniting liqueur; allow flame to burn out, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium. Using a fork, mash 2 remaining strawberries; add orange juice. (If not using liqueur, add 2 tablespoons more orange juice). Cook until thick and syrupy, 30-40 seconds; discard vanilla pod. Remove from heat. Swirl in the remaining tablespoon butter, and set aside.
6. Combine cream and confectioners sugar in the bowl of an electeic mixer, and whip until stiff peaks form.
7. ORANGE PASTRY CREAM: In a small saucepan, combine milk, orange zest, and 2 tablespoons sugar. Scrape in vanilla seeds, and add the pod. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and cover. Set aside for 10 minutes; discard orange zest and vanilla pod.
8. Prepare an ice-water bath in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together remaining 2 tablespoons sugar with cornstarch. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg and egg yolk; add the sugar mixture and continue whisking until pale yellow.
9. Return milk mixture to heat. Bring to a boil, scraping vanilla seeds from sides of pan.
10. Slowly ladle half of boiling milk mixture into egg mixture, whisking constantly. Transfer this new mixture back to saucepan.
11. Set pan over medium heat, whisking constantly and scraping sides and edges of pan. Once mixture comes to a full boil, whisk vigorously, until very thick, about 1 1/2 minutes.
12. Remove pan from heat, using a rubber spatula, scrape pastry cream into a medium bowl; set over ice water bath. Whisk in butter, piece by piece, while still warm. Let cool completely. Lay plastic wrap on surface of pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming; wrap tightly. Store for up to 1 day.
13. Without using a tip close off the end of a pastry bag with a paper clip or clothespin; fill with whipped cream. Repeat filling a second pastry bag with orange pastry cream. (alternatively, use two resealable plastic bags and cut off a corner on each; an offset spatula can also be used to spread both whipped and pastry creams).
14. Pipe a tablespoon of pastry cream onto the middle of a serving plate. Center a rectangle of puff pastry on top. Leaving a 1/2-inch border, pipe orange pastry cream onto puff pastry. Arrange roasted strawberries on top of pastry cream; scrape any remaining juice from plate into reserved sauce. Place a second rectangle of puff pastry on top of strawberries. leaving a 1/2-inch border, pipe whipped cream onto second rectangle of puff pastry. Sprinkle with pistachios. Place a third rectangle of puff pastry on top.
15. Using a serrated knife, slice assembled napoleon into 4 pieces. Drizzle with the reserved sauce and serve.