When I last posted a savory Napoleon recipe, I realized I had never posted a traditional napoleon dessert recipe. It’s called “mille-feuille” (literally “thousand leaves”) in French. Unfortunately, I burned the puff pastry, so I improvised with some Pillsbury crescent rolls! I was surprised at how well it turned out. I flavored the napoleon with peach preserves, peach flavored cream filling along and fresh peaches from our garden along with those we received from Full Circle.
It’s an elegant dessert that isn’t as difficult to assemble as it seems. A little bit of piping skill for the filling and a toothpick to make the intricate topping decoration are enough to please anyone you know who has a sweet tooth!
1. Info for Peach Napoleon Pastry Recipe
- Cook Time: 1 hr 20 mins
- Total Time: 1 hr 55 mins
- Servings: 7
- Calories: 260Kcal
2. Ingredients for Peach Napoleon Pastry Recipe
- 10 (2″ x 5″) rectangles Pillsbury crescent rolls (or puff pastry)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg yolk
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup superfine sugar
- ¼ cup peach preserves
- ¾ cup cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1¼ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream, cold
- 2 pounds ripe doughnut peaches
- ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
3. Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Line a baking pan with a silicone mat. Place the rectangles of dough. Make sure they are spaced out so they won’t touch each other while baking.
- Bake for 12 minutes at 350°F until golden. Let stand for 10 minutes.
- Transfer the rectangles of dough to cooling racks and let cool to room temperature. Using a long sharp knife, cut the rectangles in half lengthwise.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the cream cheese to soften it.
- In a small stainless-steel mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolk with 2 tablespoons superfine sugar until the texture thickens. Make a “double boiler” (a pot filled with hot water, covered with a piece of cloth) and place the bowl filled with whisked eggs on top. Continue whisking the eggs energetically for about 3-4 minutes. Check the temperature of the egg mixture; it should feel warm to the touch. Remove from the double boiler. Continue whisking for about 5 minutes. Make sure the egg mixture is whisked for a long time, so the filling is light and airy. Strain the liquid through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl to remove any egg solid. The mixture should fall like a ribbon of sauce when you lift the whisk. Slowly add the cream cheese to the egg mixture, adding just a little at a time. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and the salt. Mix well.
- Let cool to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- In another mixing bowl, whip ½ cup cream (at low speed) for 2-3 minutes until creamy and smooth. Add 2 tablespoons sugar. Increase to maximum speed and keep beating for another 2-3 minutes, until it forms soft peaks.
- Peel 1 peach (if the fruit is very ripe, the skin should come right off), remove the stone and finely chop.
- Pour ⅓ of the whipped cream and the chopped peach into the cream cheese mixture. Mix well using a silicone spatula. Pour in the rest of the whipped cream; gently fold the whipped cream.
- Fit a pastry bag with a 5/8″ star-shaped tip and spoon the filling into the bag.
- For the topping: In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar with 2 teaspoons water and the rest of the vanilla extract. MIx well. The mixture should be thick and pourable.
- Transfer the melted chocolate into a small piping bag (I made it with parchment paper). Cut a small opening with a pair of scissors as soon as you pipe.
- Pour the glaze onto 7 rectangles of dough. Spread the powdered sugar mixture using a small flat spatula. Immediately pipe lines of chocolate (about ½” apart) across the powdered sugar glaze. Using a toothpick, create a pretty pattern by dragging the tip down the rectangle lengthwise and by alternating directions. Allow to set.
- Line up the individual serving plates.
- Place 1 layer of dough on a plate. Spoon about 1 teaspoon peach preserves in the center and pipe 24 little mounds (8 by 3) of peach cream filling onto the rectangle of dough. Place another layer of dough on top and gently press. Repeat the same procedure for the second level and finally top with the decorated piece.
- Garnish with the rest of the peaches on the side by peeling and cutting them into thin wedges as a reminder of the flavor of the dessert.
- Serve at room temperature.
- Bon appétit!
