French call it Millefeuille, Americans call it Napoleon, I personally call it, friggin' delicious. Because that is what it truly is.
About this recipe
This is a heart-shaped Napoleon, a dessert that is known in France as a "Millefeuille" (thousand sheets)
A napoleon consists of crispy layers of puff pastry filled with rich custard pastry cream
Beautiful isn't it ? And not so difficult to make !
A Napoleon ("mille-feuille") isn't difficult to make at home, especially if you use frozen puff pastry dough. It can be a tad time-consuming, so allow yourself ample time for prepping, baking, assembling, and chilling
A perfect dessert during the Valentine's day, to share with the person you love, but also a pretty dessert to make all year around !
Actually you don't have to shape this as a heart, a rectangular shape will do it!
Typically, 'Napoleons' are garnished with glossy royal icing with elaborate designs made out of chocolate or colored icing, this is overly sweet, which we will avoid in this recipe
Cream and Raspberries, with a baked puff pastry, topped with whipped cream : a delicious treat to share with those you love
Modifications to the original recipe
I modified only a few things...
● I added the whipped cream on top of the dessert to make it even more delicious
The puff dough
For this recipe, no need to make your own Puff Pastry Doughs, you may purchase the puffs in your supermarket. (most often in the frozen section)
If you live in the States, try to purchase a quality puff pastry (most puff pastry are not very tasty). I purchase mine in the chain store "Smart & Final" (look in the frozen section for 'French Puff Pastry')
1. You will need a stencil in the shape of a heart
3. Print the file and cut the heart with scissors
4. Using this stencil, cut two hearts
5. Use a sharp knife
6. Transfer the hearts onto a baking pan with a silicone mat
7. Lay another silicone mat on top
8. And then lay a baking tray, which will avoid the puff pastry to rise too much
Perforated Baking PanSilicone Baking MatPerforated Baking Mat
9. Bake at 360 °F / 180 °C
10. I won't tell you how long to bake. It's really up to you to bake until you obtain the light golden color that you need
11. Sprinkle some icing sugar and bake a few minutes
12. This will caramelize and will avoid the puff dough to get soaked with the cream
Sifter for BakingOXO Mini Strainer
13. You are done with 2 baked hearts, and these should be the same size
The Mousseline Cream
14. You will need to make the Mousseline Cream : you need ⅔ Cup or 200 g for the first layer and ¼ Cup or 80 g for the upper layer. Make sure to add Vanilla in the cream
16. While you are making it, you may want to add the Gelatin (0.8 Gelatin Sheet) (to bloom in cold water and add in the cream when still hot). This will make the cream a bit firmer and allow it to hold better in this dessert
Scanpan SaucepanDeBuyer WhiskGelatin Sheets
17. Transfer the cream in a Pastry Bag and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours
18. Use a Plain Pastry Tip with a large diamater (0.62" (or 5/8" or 1.6 cm))
19. Pipe little balls all around a first heart
Matfer Bourgeat Pastry BagsDisposable Pastry BagsPlain Pastry Tips Set, Stainless Steel
20. Insert the Raspberries (13)
21. Finish the first layer by adding more Mousseline Cream
The Whipped Cream
22. For the whipped cream : Pour into a bowl the Mousseline Cream (¼ Cup or 80 g) and a few drops of Food Coloring (red), mix with a spatula
Large Mixing Bowls, Stainless SteelPowdered Food Coloring KitWilton Gel-Based Food Color
23. Whip the Whipping Cream (⅔ Cup or 150 g): You may use either a stand mixer (like a Kitchen Aid appliance) or an electric beater
24. Add in the Vanilla Sugar (1 Tablespoon or 16 g) and whisk
KitchenAid 7-Quart Stand MixerHamilton Beach Stand MixerHand Mixer
25. You need to incorporate the two bowls, without whisking (which would destroy the airy texture)
26. Add in 1/3 of the whipped cream and fold carefully
27. Repeat with 1/3 of the cream, and repeat with the last 1/3
KitchenAid Silicone Spatula SetLe Creuset Silicone Spatula
28. Transfer into a Pastry Bag and a Saint-Honore Piping Tip
29. Pipe on the second heart
Saint Honore Pastry Tips SetSaint Honoré Nozzle
30. For the Raspberries (20), try to pick them with the same size and caliber
31. Sprinkle some icing sugar
32. Place the Raspberries around the heart
33. All you need to do now is to place the upper layer on the first heart
To finish, I added bits of raspberries and a rose petal
Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours
Napoleons (Mille-feuille) can be assembled a day in advance of serving, but not longer, otherwise the baked puff pastry will become too soft, a sign that the dessert is not fresh
A delicious dessert, Enjoy !