My Mama is in town this week! We have the cutest room clients (which is a luxury New York, but has only been used a few times) and I am so happy to walk by do with it. Living away is difficult. Anyway my mom is still hoping that we can cook together, so we did not waste time to do some magic in the kitchen this week.
I am dying to show him how easy and fast impressive puff pastry, I shared recently, and we decided that a springy version of the classic French Napolean would showcase perfectly the dough. Normally, three layered sandwich layers of pastry custard with chocolate and vanilla icing. In our case, we in thick layers of whipped cream and juicy strawberries in the dough between the more flaky and tender. (I still can not help but be amazed at how easy it is to do.)
This is a light, elastic, dessert that would be so beautiful, with a spread of tea in the afternoon. It really is not very soft, just a little sugar into the whipped cream and the natural sweetness of the berries. I find these types of desserts so refreshing and such a nice break more sweet treats that I tend to go for! ( In addition, there is four pastries which is great for the girl who loves small portions ... .more on this Friday!)
- 1 lb puff pastry, refrigerated
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted
- ½ extract teaspoon vanilla
- 5 large strawberries, hulled and sliced
- Line a 9-inch square mold parchment paper and set aside.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll puff pastry ice * to ⅛ inch thick. (Use your 9x9 pan Guide- as it should be much larger so that you can cut to fit.)
- Let the dough rest for about 5 minutes, then using a ruler and a sharp knife or pastry cutter, cut the dough to fit the pan. Carefully drape the dough onto the rolling pin and transfer it to your prepared pan. Pierce the surface of the dough all over with a fork. Cover the dough with wax paper and refrigerate for one hour.
- Prepare an oven rack on the middle shelf, and preheat the oven to 400F. Bake the dough until golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Cool completely in pan.
- For the filling, beat the cream until soft peaks form. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
- Remove the cooled pastry from the pan and cut into quarters. Cut each quarter into two again- ending with 8 rooms in total. Distribute the cream inside half a top with sliced strawberries and place another layer on top.
- Serve immediately or within 2 hours of assembly (refrigerated.) **
* As delicious as it is freshly made, the dough will be a little soggy if it is too long. Eat it within 2 hours for best results
adapted recipe from: Williams-Sonoma: The Essentials of Baking