master class making a rum-raisin napoleona pastry chef shows how to create silky custard and crisp...

68 FINE COOKING

he napoleon is the quintessential Frenchpastry. It’s elegant. It’s refined. It’s gorgeous

but not gaudy. More than the looks, however, I lovethe delectable contrast in each mouthful—creamy,smooth-as-silk custard (spiked with a little rum and raisins in my recipe) against buttery, toasty,crisp pastry.

Over the years I’ve spent a lot of time developingand improving my own version of this dessert. Butyou don’t need to be an expert to produce a stunningnapoleon, which is called millefeuille (pronouncedMEEL-FOY) in France, meaning “a thousand layers.” Ifyou’re patient, persistent, and precise (and you fol-low the directions below), you can turn out a dessertmore beautiful and delicious than any you see in aFrench pastry shop window.

A BETTER CUSTARD MAKES A BETTERNAPOLEONThe custard is the heart and soul of a napoleon.Even perfect puff pastry won’t mean a thing with-out a smooth and creamy custard between thelayers. Traditional napoleons are made with pastrycream (crème pâtissière), a custard thickened withflour or cornstarch, but I’ve always found pastrycream to be, well, pasty. I was lucky enough to tastea napoleon made by Los Angeles chef Michel

Richard in which he used a baked custard instead ofpastry cream. It was a brilliant substitution, whichI’ve adopted.

The baked custard is actually simpler to make,easier to work with, and most importantly, morewonderful to eat—smooth, satiny, not the least bit heavy.

Egg yolks give structure to the custard. Thecustard is simple, but it helps to understand theinteraction among its three crucial components—eggs, milk or cream, and sugar.

Eggs are crucial for setting a custard, and herethey are the sole thickener; the absence of flour orcornstarch is one of the reasons the custard is so vel-vety. Whole eggs will give you a slightly lower-fat cus-tard, but the whites tend to make the texture firmer,more gelatinous. I use only yolks, two or three percup, and I use mostly cream with a little milk forlightness (see recipe on p. 72). For the richest cus-tard, use three yolks per cup and all cream—no milk.

Sugar is the least critical component in this cus-tard, and you can adjust the amount to suit yourtaste. When whisking sugar and eggs, whisk imme-diately and vigorously. If sugar and eggs are left incontact for more than a minute or so, the sugar will“burn” the yolks, making little lumps that will neverblend into the finished custard.

Making a Rum-RaisinNapoleonA pastry chef shows how to createsilky custard and crisp pastry forher version of this classic dessert

BY LAURANN CLARIDGE

Phot

os e

xcep

t whe

re n

oted

: Fra

n Br

enna

n

MASTER CLASS

The custard is bakedin a water bath tokeep the heat gentleand even. A covering

of foil helps prevent a

thick skin from form-

ing on the surface.

Pastry chef Laurann Claridge uses baked custard

instead of pastry cream in her napoleon.

T

Copyright © 1995 - 2007 The Taunton Press

DECEMBER 1995 / JANUARY 1996 69

Controlling the heat for a smooth texture. Toproduce the smoothest custard, you need to bakethe it in a water bath (also called a bain marie) tokeep the heat gentle and steady (see photo oppo-site). Cover the water bath snugly with aluminumfoil to trap the steam; this will prevent a thick skinfrom forming on top of the custard. Don’t bake thecustard in a metal or foil pan, since metal will con-duct the oven’s heat too di-rectly to the custard. I usePyrex or ceramic pans.

Once the custard is baked,it needs a long cooling time—first at room temperature andthen in the refrigerator for an-other few hours or preferablyovernight—to be firmenough to transfer in strips to the finished pastry.(See custard recipe on pp. 72–73.)

MASTER PUFF PASTRY BY GIVING IT A RESTThe custard for this napoleon is easy to make, andthe puff pastry can be easy, too, despite its reputationas one of the most challenging pastries to master.The most common problem for beginners is thatthey develop too much gluten in the flour-andwater-part of the dough—called the détrempe (pro-

nounced day-TRAHMP)—which makes the pastrydough very stretchy and hard to roll out. The trick isto go slowly and to pace the process so that you allowplenty of chilling and resting time in between eachstage. In fact, you’ll have better success if you spreadthe process out over a couple of days.

Not plain pie dough. A classic puff pastry recipecalls for equal weights of flour and butter, which is

about twice the amount ofbutter in a regular pie crust.This large amount of fat iscarefully combined with theother ingredients in a processknown as “turning,” whichcreates hundreds of sheets offlour-and-water dough sand-wiched between thin layers of

butter. The butter lubricates the layers, keepingeach distinct and separate. During baking, themoisture in the dough turns to steam, which pushesthe layers upward, resulting in a delicate, crisp,buttery pastry.

A blend of flour gives just enough strength. Irecommend combining equal portions of un-bleached all-purpose flour and cake or pastry flour.This half-and-half mixture gives the dough justenough gluten to make layers that will stay intact

Blend the dough.Smear the dough with

your palm to form a

rough ball. If the

dough is too dry to

hold together, add up

to 1⁄3 cup more ice

water, 1 tablespoon at

a time. Work until the

dough forms a slightly

soft and sticky ball.

Score the top in a

crisscross pattern (see

photo opposite) Wrap

in plastic and again in

foil. Chill 4 to 12 hours.

The trick to puff pastry

is to go slowly

and pace the process.

Making the détrempe—the basic doughRub in the butter. Sift flour and salt

onto a cool, dry surface. Rub butter

into the flour until you have a scat-

tering of flakes the size of oatmeal.

Make a well and mix the ingredients. Shape the flakes into a

well, pour water and lemon juice into the center, and rotate

your fingers to draw in the flour, making a wet paste. Drag in

the rest of the flour to make a ragged dough.


during all the rolling and turning and during bak-ing, despite the pressure of the steam.

Good butter makes a difference. Use unsaltedbutter for the best flavor. Unfortunately, all buttercontains moisture (though the better the quality, thelower the moisture content), which can increasegluten formation and toughen the dough. To allevi-ate any problems with excess moisture, I knead alittle flour into my butter while I soften it. The flourabsorbs the water but doesn’t form much gluten be-cause it’s surrounded by so much fat, which “short-ens” or interferes with gluten formation.

Cold water and acid cut down on gluten. I usespring water because I don’t want to risk any off fla-vors from tap water, and I chill it until it’s very cold,which will help minimize gluten development.

I also add a little lemon juice to the détrempe,which lowers the pH of the dough and conditionsand relaxes the gluten strands, making the dougheasier to roll and turn. You can also use cream of tar-tar or cider vinegar.

Puff pastry is made in three basic steps: • making the détrempe (the basic flour-and-waterdough);• softening the butter and wrapping it in thedétrempe; • rolling and turning; this step is done six times.

I’m a traditionalist, and I prefer making the dé-trempe by hand (see photos on p. 69). I find thatworking the dough by hand has a wonderful ther-apeutic effect. While the détrempe is mainly flourand water, a small amount of butter is worked in tohelp keep too much gluten from forming. You wantthe détrempe to be strong and stretchy enough towithstand lots of rolling and folding, but if it’s toostretchy, it will shrink back as you roll, and you’llnever manage the six turns.

The key to the right détrempe texture is to let itrelax for at least four hours and up to 12 hours in therefrigerator until it reaches its ideal texture—smooth and supple. In fact, your goal is to give thedétrempe the same texture as your butter has at roomtemperature. When both components have thesame texture, they’ll behave the same way under therolling pin, forming even sheets of dough and butter.

I give the butter the right texture through a com-bination of letting it warm up to room temperatureand pounding it and a little flour with the rolling pinuntil it’s very malleable, like modeling clay (seephoto at top left).

The actual rolling of the détrempe and buttertakes patience. The rolling itself takes much lesstime than the periods of rest and chilling betweeneach turn, but again, these chilling periods are key to a dough that’s easy to work, maintains its shapeduring baking, and has a tender, flaky finished tex-ture. (See photos opposite.)

70 FINE COOKING

Place the butter. Roll the détrempe into

a 1⁄2-inch-thick slab

about 10 inches

square, with the edges

slightly thinner than

the center. Set the

butter square in

the center.

Wrap the butter. Bring both sides of the dough inward and then the top and bottom

together. Seal the seams carefully by pinching. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Wrapping the butterShape the butter.Sprinkle the work

surface with 1⁄4 cup

flour and arrange the

butter sticks into a

block. Pound to form

a pliable mass; add

more flour if it gets too

sticky. Shape into a

5-inch square.


The recipe I’m providing makes about twice theamount of pastry you’ll need for one napoleon toserve four to six people; it’s difficult to make a doughin a smaller quantity than this. For the very best re-sults, I like to bake the pastry within six hours of itsfinal turn, but you can wrap it carefully and refriger-ate it for three days or freeze for three months.

TURNING PUFF PASTRY DOUGH INTO A CLASSIC NAPOLEONJust as patience is the key to making a good puffpastry dough, precision is the key to transformingthe dough into a perfect napoleon. This is a classicdessert, and while flavor is its highest virtue, a trim,perfectly proportioned appearance is another im-portant part of its appeal.

Don’t let your puff pastry puff. Though puff pas-try can rise very high, for a napoleon, you need to doall you can to keep the pastry flat. This seems para-doxical, since you’ve taken so much care to make adough with hundreds of layers, but a good napoleonis made of sheets of pastry that are almost wafer-thin.Don’t worry, the individual layers will still separateduring cooking to produce a crisp, flaky pastry, butthe flakes will be close together, not puffed apart.

You get this ideal texture by:• rolling the dough until it’s very thin, about 1⁄16 inch; • pricking the entire surface of the dough with afork, which will let some steam escape during cook-ing; and• laying a rack on the dough during baking, whichweights the dough down and prevents it from twist-ing or rising in isolated pockets.


Rotate the dough90°, so the fold is on

your left and the flap

opens like a book. This

rolling, folding, and

rotating 90° is called a

“turn.” Repeat once

more. Wrap the dough

block in plastic and

chill 45 min.

Continue for twomore sets of two turns(a total of six turns),

chilling 11⁄2 hours be-

tween the two sets. If

the dough starts to get

too soft and sticky,

stop what you’re do-

ing, wrap it, and chill it

for a few minutes.

Keep track of yourturns by lightly in-denting the doughwith your fingerprint.

Keep the dough

wrapped and chilled

until you’re ready

to use it.

Rolling and turningRoll dough out slowly, bearing down

on the pin, with firm, even strokes un-

til you have an 8x16-inch rectangle.

Fold the dough in thirds, like a letter, keeping the inside edge

flush against the inside fold. If necessary, pull the corners

slightly to make an even rectangle.


Cook until done, and then cook a little more.You naturally need to guard against burning yourpastry, but underbaking is almost as serious a sin asoverbaking, especially when it comes to puff pastry.The main problem with underbaked puff pastry isthat, though the outer layers look golden brownand crisp, the inner layers may still be slightly leath-ery, not yet crisp. This makes the sheet of pastry im-possible to cut and not so nice to chew. The otheradvantage of proper baking is flavor—only in thefinal stages of baking do the sugars and proteins inthe ingredients fully caramelize, which gives thepastry a deep, nutty flavor.

Measure twice, cut once. The three layers ofpastry that make up the napoleon must be exactlythe same size in order to look good, and the pastryand custard should meet on all sides, forming asmooth edge of alternating textures and colors. Todo this, you need to use a ruler and measure bothyour pastry and custard exactly before cutting. Tocut the custard, use a regular paring knife. To cutthe pastry, use a serrated knife and very short,gentle sawing strokes. Once you’ve assembled thenapoleon, you should serve it within an hour so thepastry doesn’t get soggy. You can actually put ittogether right before you’re ready to serve if youhave your custard chilled and sliced and your pas-try strips cut (see photos opposite). The final as-sembly of this fantastic dessert won’t take morethan five minutes.

Classic Puff Pastry DoughThis recipe makes enough for two napoleons. Wrap anyleftover raw dough in plastic and freeze.

FOR THE DETREMPE:8 oz. (about 2 cups) cake flour 8 oz. (about 13⁄4 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour 1 tsp. salt (or a scant 2 tsp. kosher salt)2 oz. (4 Tbs.) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1⁄4-inch pieces1 cup spring water, ice cold; more as needed1 Tbs. lemon juice

FOR THE BUTTER PACKAGE:14 oz. (31⁄2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and then softened

at room temperature 10 min. before use1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour

More flour to dust surfaces

Follow the instructions in the photos starting on p. 69.

Rum-Raisin CustardYields enough filling for one napoleon.

1⁄2 cup dark or golden raisins or a combination1⁄4 cup dark spiced rum (such as Captain Morgan’s)2 cups heavy cream1⁄2 cup whole milk1⁄4 vanilla bean (or 2 tsp. vanilla extract )5 large egg yolks1⁄2 cup sugar

72 FINE COOKING

Bake in the hot ovenfor 10 to 15 minutes(the pastry will start

forming steam inside).

Reduce heat to 350°

and bake until the

pastry is deep golden

brown, about 25 more

minutes. Remove the

rack, reduce the heat

to 300°, and bake for

5 more minutes to dry

out the inner layers.

Cool and cut thepastry. Carefully

transfer the pastry to

a cooling rack. When

completely cool, lay

the pastry on a flat

surface. Use a ruler

and knife to measure

and cut three 31⁄2x11-

inch strips.

Making the napoleon layersRoll the pastry sheet.Heat the oven to 400°F.

Sprinkle the back of a

baking sheet with

water. Cut the dough

in half and roll half on

a lightly floured sur-

face into a 1⁄16-inch-

thick sheet about

16x13 inches. Transfer

to the baking sheet

using your rolling pin.

Prepare the pastry forbaking. Prick the pas-

try evenly and gener-

ously all over. Chill

the dough at least

30 minutes. Lay an

ungreased rectangular

cake rack directly on

the chilled dough.

Phot

o at

top

left

: Mat

thew

Kes

tenb

aum


Heat the oven to 300°F.

Boil the raisins and rum in a small saucepan overmedium heat until 1 Tbs. of the liquid is left; cool.

Bring the heavy cream and milk to a simmer in amedium-sized heavy saucepan over medium heat. Splitand scrape the vanilla bean, if using; add the seeds andthe pod to the cream. Meanwhile, with an electricmixer, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until the mix-ture is thick and light yellow and the sugar granules arealmost completely dissolved.

When the cream has reached a boil, let it cool a momentand then slowly pour it over the egg mixture, slowlywhisking it in. Pour the custard through a fine meshstrainer into a stainless-steel bowl. Add the raisins, thereduced rum, and the vanilla extract, if using.

Pour the custard into a 9x13-inch Pyrex or ceramic bak-ing dish (never metal). Set that dish in a larger andslightly deeper roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan withhot water until it reaches halfway up the sides of thesmaller baking dish. Cover with foil. Bake the custard onthe center rack for 70 to 80 min., or until a knife insertedinto the custard comes out clean. Remove the pan fromthe water bath, let it cool to room temperature, andthen refrigerate several hours or overnight.

Laurann Claridge studied pastry in France at EcoleLenôtre and La Varenne. Her program, “Food Talk,” is broadcast on Saturdays from KPRC in Houston. •


Begin the assembly.Cut the custard into

two 31⁄2x11-inch strips;

cut each strip in half.

(Reserve remaining

custard for patches.)

Put the first layer of

pastry on a flat board.

With a long, wide, off-

set spatula, lift a quar-

ter of the custard and

set it on the pastry. Re-

peat with second quar-

ter to fill the first layer.

Finish layering. Add a second layer of

pastry and custard. Top with the

third layer of pastry, smooth side up.

Smooth any rough edges of custard.

Cut and decorate the slices. Gingerly brace the pastry with one hand and with the other,

slowly draw a long serrated knife back and forth, through one layer of pastry at a time.

Sprinkle the top with a thick layer of confectioners’ sugar.Phot

o at

far r

ight

: Mar

k T

hom

as


master class making a rum-raisin napoleona pastry chef shows how to create silky custard and crisp...

Documents