Red Velvet Napoleons With Raspberries Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out puff pastry to a 10-by-15-inch rectangle. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Prick pastry all over with a fork. Cover completely with another sheet of parchment paper; weight with another baking sheet (same size or slightly smaller) to prevent pastry from puffing up unevenly. Bake, occasionally pressing top sheet down, until pastry is golden, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove top sheet and parchment, and let pastry cool.
• Transfer pastry to a cutting board. With a serrated knife, carefully trim and discard edges; cut into 12 equal pieces.
• Dividing evenly, put a large dollop of pudding (2 to 3 tablespoons) on 8 of the 12 pastry pieces; top with raspberries and a little more pudding.
• Assemble napoleons on serving plates: For each napoleon, stack two pieces of pastry already topped with pudding and raspberries, then top with a plain piece. Dust lightly with confectioners' sugar.
• Make Raspberry Sauce (optional): In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup raspberry jam and 1 tablespoon water; pass through a fine-mesh sieve. Thin with additional water if needed.
• Garnish plate with Raspberry Sauce, if desired.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line the bottoms of 2 9-inch cake pans with parchment or waxed paper and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
• Make the cake: in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy, 5-8 minutes. Add eggs one by one and mix until each is fully incorporated, scraping the bowl as needed.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the food coloring and vanilla. Blend into butter mixture. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Alternating in 2 batches each, add dry ingredients and buttermilk to the butter mixture. Stir in half of the almonds.
• Bake the cake: Divide batter evenly between the 2 prepared pans, place in the center of the oven and bake 20-25 minutes or until the tip of a small knife inserted in the center emerges clean. Cool.
• Make the frosting: In the large bowl fitted with the paddle, beat the cream cheese, confectioner's sugar and vanilla until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Stir in raspberries until they separate and break into small pieces.
• Assemble the cake: Place one layer of the cake on a flat surface. Frost the top with a scant third of the frosting. Sprinkle with about half of the remaining almonds. Top squarely with the second cake and gently press the two layers together. Frost the top and sides with the remaining frosting and top with remaining almonds and raspberries.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• Unfold the puff pastry and place 1 sheet on each of 2 baking sheets. Top each with another sheet of parchment weighed down with a baking sheet topped with a ceramic baking dish. Bake until the pastry is crisp and golden brown, 22 to 25 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and switch the oven to broil. Carefully cut each puff pastry sheet with a serrated knife into 9 rectangles, each about 2-by-5 inches; dust the tops with superfine sugar. Bake the pastry, uncovered, until crisp and caramelized, watching carefully and rotating the baking sheets--this is quick, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Alternatively, you can use a kitchen torch. Remove from the oven and let cool on wire racks. Transfer the cooled pastry to a cutting board.
• In a large bowl with a hand mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the melted chocolate, butter, cream cheese, the 4 cups confectioners' sugar and the vanilla until light and fluffy. Color as desired with the food coloring then transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe round little blobs onto 6 of the pastry rectangles, covering the surface. Top with 6 more of the rectangles and repeat the piping. Top with the remaining 6 rectangles. Set a metal offset spatula over the center crosswise of each napoleon and dust the top with confectioners' sugar. Garnish each with 2 to 3 raspberries and a small edible flower.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Place puff pastry on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and poke holes all over surface using the tines of a fork; top with a second piece of parchment paper. Place 2 baking sheets on top of parchment paper to weigh down; transfer to oven. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Remove puff pastry from oven and uncover; let cool completely. Using a 3 1/4-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut six hearts from puff pastry, reserving scraps.
• Fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain round tip with pastry cream. Place 1 heart-shaped piece of puff on each of two dessert plates. Pipe pastry cream over the surface of each heart, almost to the edge. Place raspberries around the perimeter of the pastry cream. Top each with a second puff pastry heart and repeat process. Top each with a third puff pastry heart.
• Crumble a little of the reserved puff pastry scraps and top Napoleons with crumbs. Dust tops with confectioners' sugar and pipe a little pastry cream in the center of each. Top with a raspberry and serve immediately.

Steps:

• To make the sorbet, place the peppers, granulated sugar and water in a blender and process until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, discard the solids and set the liquid aside. Place the raspberries in a food processor and process until pureed. Strain the puree through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing on the solids to extract as much puree as possible. Discard the solids. Place the puree in a bowl and whisk in the powdered sugar. Measure out and stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of the chili-and-sugar syrup, to taste. Refrigerate until chilled, and freeze according to the instructions for your ice-cream maker.
• To make the crepes, preheat the oven to 275 degrees. In a bowl, combine the rice flour and sugar. In another bowl, whisk together the egg whites, melted butter and hot water, and stir it into the flour and sugar. Keep stirring until the mixture is smooth.
• Place an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Brush it with clarified butter and pour in 2 tablespoons of the batter, swirling the pan to coat it evenly. Cook until the crepe is set but not brown, about 1 minute. Turn and cook the other side. Transfer to a plate and allow to cool slightly. Cut crepe into 4 wedges, and transfer to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Repeat until you have made 6 crepes. Brush them with clarified butter, sprinkle with granulated sugar and bake until crisp, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.
• To make the filling, combine the cream and rum, and whip until soft peaks form. Combine the coconut and sugar, and fold into the cream. Place the raspberries and granulated sugar in a bowl and mash with a fork until smooth.
• When ready to serve, place a wedge of crepe on a dessert plate and spread with a layer of coconut mixture, then with raspberry puree. Stack a second wedge on top, and add the coconut and raspberry layers. Repeat again, and top with the fourth wedge of crepe. Place a scoop of sorbet on the side.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Roll out 1 puff pastry sheet on a floured work surface until it is 1/4-inch thick. Cut into 16 squares. Transfer to a baking sheet and prick all over with a fork. Repeat with remaining puff pastry sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned on the top and bottom, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool, about 10 minutes.
• Combine cream cheese, white sugar, heavy cream, and lemon zest in a bowl. Mix by hand until smooth and glossy. Dollop cream cheese mixture over 16 squares. Spread out cream cheese mixture and cover with raspberries. Top with the remaining puff pastry squares and dust with confectioners' sugar.