Napoleons are one of those pastries that are entirely made from components you probably already know: puff pastry, pastry cream and poured fondant. That being the case, there’s no “recipe” this week per se, just a list of things you’ll want to have on-hand (all can be made well in advance):
About 18 ounces puff pastry (store-bought is OK)
Half recipe pastry cream
One and a half recipes poured fondant, about a third of it made into chocolate poured fondant
Begin by preheating your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Roll out your puff pastry into a thin sheet, about 12″ x 17″, the dimensions of a half sheet pan or cookie sheet. Place the rolled dough on a parchment-lined sheet and refrigerate it for about 20 minutes.
When ready to bake, poke holes all over the puff pastry sheet with a fork, lay another sheet pan on top of it (to discourage too much puffing), and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the top pan and bake another 25-30 minutes until dark brown. Allow the sheet to cool, then trim the edges straight and cut the sheet cross-ways into three equal pieces. Layer them one on top of the other with the pastry cream, save for the top, and refrigerate the pastry for about two hours.
When ready to finish, have a squeeze bottle of chocolate poured fondant ready. Melt the remaining fondant in a small saucepan, then allow it to cool slightly to a medium-thick texture. Pour it over the pastry, pushing it to the edges of the top layer with an offset spatula, then promptly squeeze stripes of the chocolate fondant down the length of the pastry. Using a knife or bench scraper, make the classic “cuts” in the fondant, pulling the chocolate stripe in one direction, then the other.
Refrigerate the pastry at least two more hours to firm before cutting. Slice into strips using a sharp serrated knife and long, gentle strokes. Serve chilled.
Just made this today. Millefeuilles are my all time favorite dessert (I am lucky enough to live in France & have them available on every street corner). I was ready to make the puff pastry for the first time ever, until I read comments about all the mess ups…then I got really scared & ended up buying pate feuilletee. Though my presentation needs a little work (the fondant hardened before I could draw the lines…) I found the pastry cream way way way too sweet!! I think half the sugar would’ve sufficed. Though I have some steep competition here, I’m pretty happy with mine. I’ll keep working on it & give an update in a weekend or 2!
P.S. Love, love, love your site!!
Hi Erica!
I’m very glad you tried making these pastries! You’re not the first to complain about the sweetness…though when I’ve reduced the sugar in the past, some readers have complained that it’s not sweet enough! Perhaps what I’ll do is make a note about adjusting the sugar to your taste. Please keep me updated on your progress!
- Joe
Hi Joe,
Thanks for the recipe!!! Can’t wait to try it. I was just wondering, have you ever done this using a “rough puff pastry”? For me, making the classic puff pastry is daunting…
Hi Cecilia!
I haven’t tried it that way, but I see no reason why it wouldn’t work. Considering that pastry makers go to a lot of troubled to defeat the rise of classic puff pastry when making Napoleons, a rough puff might in fact be ideal. Let me know how it goes!
- Joe
Hi Joe,
Is the full one-and-a-half batches of fondant actually necessary to cover the top of the Napoleon? It just sounds like a lot…?
Thanks for the tutorial, I’ve picked up some great tips
Hi Korena!
It depends on how neat you are. I don’t like people to run out, so I tend to over-estimate on things like this. If you want to cut the quantities in half, feel free. You can probably get away with it.
Let me know how they go!
- Joe