Strawberries are here!!!!!
Do you know what that means?
Lots of strawberry recipes are going to be coming your way!
I love strawberries, but this year I seem to be obsessed with them! Maybe it’s because so many food blogs have already been posting their strawberry recipes (like starting 3 weeks ago)- and I’m jealous!
Well, now it’s my turn!
1st up, we are going to be roasting some strawberries! I read this on How Sweet Eats, and I wanted to try it. Yum! Roasting the strawberries gives them a deeper flavor.
In order to capture the true taste of the roasted strawberries, I decided to keep the dessert simple (and with the rest of the roasted strawberries, I am going to play!!). A classic napoleon. Baked puff pastry layered with a vanilla bean pastry cream and roasted strawberries. Simple and elegant.
Roasted Strawberry Napoleons
Equipment
- Medium-sized saucepan
- Medium-sized mixing bowl
- Plastic wrap
- Small mixing bowl
- Cookie sheet/jellyroll pan/baking pan
- Parchment paper lined cookie sheet
- Serving plate
Ingredients
- 1 Sheet Puff pastry, thawed (I used Pepperidge Farm)
- ½ Pint Strawberries
- 2 Tablespoons Sugar
- 2 Cups Milk
- ¼ Cup Sugar
- 2 Egg yolks
- 1 Egg
- ¼ Cup Cornstarch
- ⅓ Cup Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla bean paste
Instructions
Make the pastry cream:
- In a medium-sized saucepan, whisk together the milk and 1/4 cup sugar. Place over medium heat and let come to a boil.In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, egg, cornstarch, and 1/3 cup sugar. Whisk until everything is well combined and smooth. After the milk has come to a boil, remove from the heat and pour 1/3 of the mixture into the egg/cornstarch mixture. Whisk quickly to combine. Repeat this 2 more times, making sure to whisk continuously. Once all the milk has been added to the egg mixture, pour this new mixture back into the saucepan. Place back on the heat and whisk constantly. After a few minutes, the mixture will begin to thicken up. After the mixture has thickened, remove from the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla bean paste. Pour into a heat-safe container, cover the surface with plastic wrap (this will prevent the pastry cream from forming a skin), and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Roast the strawberries:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.Clean the strawberries (if needed) and remove the stems. If your strawberries are big, cut in half or quarters and place in a small mixing bowl. Mine were small (size of a quarter), so I left them whole. Add in 2 tablespoons of sugar and mix well. Pour the strawberries out onto a cookie sheet/jellyroll pan/baking pan (anything that has sides and is big enough that the strawberries are in one layer). Roast for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
Bake the puff pastry:
- Leaving the oven on at 400 degrees, unfold your puff pastry and lightly roll a rolling pin over it. Cut it into 6 even pieces (I followed the 3 folds/seams, then cut each one in half, width-wise). Place the puff pastry onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet- leaving 2 inches between each one. Bake according to the package directions (mine said 15 minutes). Remove from the oven and let cool.
To assemble:
- Slice each puff pastry in half, making a top and bottom. Place the bottom piece on a serving plate and top with some of the pastry cream. Spoon on some roasted strawberries (and juice), then top with the puff pastry top. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or dust some powdered sugar on the top. Enjoy!Puff pastry bottom, topped with pastry cream
