Secrets to French Napoleons

Napoleons are made of layers of flaky puff pastry filled with rich pastry cream, cut into small rectangles, and topped with chocolate and vanilla icings. It may look complicated, but its two main componentspuff pastry and pastry creamare actually quite basic.

But there is one major difference with the way the puff pastry is treated for Napoleons as opposed to other pastries: Its weighted down as it bakes. This prevents the pastry from rising too muchyou want the layers that make up each slice to be flat and dense, not puffy and domed. The best way to do this is to place a second sheet pan over the pastry and then put a large ovenproof baking dish on top. This keeps it condensed, providing you with flat sheets to use when building your impressive, three-layer sweet.

PREPARING THE PASTRY

1. Roll the puff pastry into a 16 by 12-inch rectangle, about inch thick, between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Remove the top sheet of parchment and prick the pastry with a fork every 2 inches.

2. Replace the top sheet of parchment and slide the dough onto a rimmed baking sheet. Place a second rimmed baking sheet on top of the dough and weight the baking sheet down with a large ovenproof dish. Bake the pastry as directed, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking, and removing the weight, the top baking sheet, and top sheet of parchment for the final 5 to 10 minutes.

3. Cut the cooled pastry lengthwise in half with a serrated knife and trim the edges as necessary to make them straight. Cut each pastry half crosswise into 3 rectangles.

4. Cut each rectangle crosswise into 3 small rectangles (you will have a total of 18 rectangles). Each Napoleon will contain 3 rectangles of pastry stacked on top of one another, with pastry cream spread between the layers.

GLAZING AND ASSEMBLING

1. Spread the chocolate glaze evenly over the top of 6 rectangles of pastry and lay them on a wire rack set over a sheet of parchment paper (for easy cleanup). Drizzle a thin stream of the vanilla glaze crosswise over the chocolate glaze. Run the tip of a small knife or toothpick lengthwise through the icing to make a design. Let the icing set, about 20 minutes.

2. After layering the remaining rectangles of pastry with the pastry cream to make 6 individual portions, top each portion with a glazed pastry rectangle and serve.

Find this and other great recipes in The Americas Test Kitchen Family Baking Book.

---

Second French Empire - Return of Napoleon III The Second French Empire or Second Empire was the imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870. Learn about the return of Napoleon III Letter Shows Napoleon Was Secret Anglophile As England and France were preparing for their Euro 2012 football showdown, it emerged that France's greatest leader was a secret Anglophile. A letter written in ... Napoleon Bonaparte Emperor of the French Lucidcaf's Profile of Napoleon Bonaparte ... Serving Coffee, Art, History and Literature Lovers on the World-Wide-Web since 1995 The Secret Life of Josephine: Napoleon's Bird of Paradise by ... The Secret Life of Josephine has 691 ratings and 88 reviews. Amy said: Actually, I read *Josephine: A Life of the Empress* by the same author, but that t... France During the French Revolution and Under Napoleon Bonaparte The story of Napoleon produces on me an impression like that produced by the Revelation of St. John the Divine. We all feel there must be something more in it, but we ... Napoleon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Napoleon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 5 May 1821) was a French military and political leader who rose to prominence during the latter stages of the French Revolution ... NAPOLEON BONAPARTE THE EMPEROR OF FRANCE 1769 TO 1821 FRENCH ... www.solarnavigator.net - Napoleon Bonaparte emperor of France, maritime history, tradition and the French Revolution. French Toast Napoleon with Maple Syrup, Pecans and Ice Cream ... 25 min; 1 loaf challah bread loaf (about 1.6 pounds or 10 thick slices); 1 stick unsalted butter; 1/2 cup pecans, toasted; 3/4 cup maple syrup; Couple dashes ground ... French invasion of Russia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The French invasion of Russia in 1812, also known as the Russian Campaign in France and the Patriotic War of 1812 in Russia, was a turning point during the Napoleonic ... Napoleon Bonaparte Declairs Himself the French Emperor in 1804 On this very day in 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of the French. Napoleons coronation was described as being a sight to remember.

Secrets to Southern-Style Skillet Cornbread

Although their ingredient lists may look similar, the cornbreads of the North and South are as different as Boston and Birmingham. For one thing, white is the cornmeal of choice in Southern-style cornbread. But a few blind taste tests proved that yellow cornmeal, the choice of Northern cornbread lovers, provided more potent corn flavor.

But one concession we couldnt make was the classic Southern cornbread cooking vessel: a scorching hot, greased cast-iron skillet, which gives it a seriously crunchy, golden crust. Using a combination of oil and butter for greasing the pan (as well as in the batter) strikes the perfect balance of smoke point and flavorthe oil can be heated in the skillet to a high temperature without burning, while the butter adds good flavor.

HOW TO MAKE SOUTHERN-STYLE SKILLET CORNBREAD

1. Preheat the skillet: Heat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet on the middle rack of a 450-degree oven until it is hot, about 10 minutes. If you dont preheat the pan, the crust of the bread will be soft and pale rather than brown and crunchy.

2. Toast the cornmeal: Toast the cornmeal in the oven (while the skillet is heating up) until it is fragrant and lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Toasting the cornmeal before making the batter deepens its flavor dramatically.

3. Soften the toasted cornmeal with buttermilk: Mix the warm toasted cornmeal with the buttermilk and let it sit for a few minutes to soften before making the batter. If you skip this step, the cornmeal will retain its hard, crunchy texture in the finished bread.

4. Use oil and butter: Add the oil to the hot skillet and continue to heat in the oven until just smoking. When the oil is hot, carefully swirl in the butter to melt. Most of this hot fat is added to the batter, but some of it is left in the pan to ensure a crisp crust and flawless release of the bread after its baked. The combination of oil and butter is great because the oil can get very hot without burning, while the butter adds good flavor.

5. Add the batter while the skillet is hot: The hot skillet is what gives this bread its crunchy crust, so dont let it cool off before adding the batter.

6. Cool the bread in the skillet, then flip it out: When removing the cornbread from the oven, use good potholders because the skillet is heavy and the handle will be very hot. Let the bread cool in the skillet for 5 minutes, then flip it out onto a wire rack. If you try to flip the bread out before cooling, it will crumble apart.

Find this and other great recipes in The Americas Test Kitchen Family Baking Book.

---

Southern-Style Cornbread in a Cast Iron Skillet This recipe makes a delicious cornbread that has a great crust due to cooking it in a pre-heated cast iron skillet. If you like sweet cake-like How to Make Southern Style Cornbread eHow.com Hot and buttery cornbread is a savory accompaniment to down-home meals and is a treasured comfort food among Southerners. To make authentic Southern cornbread, you ... Southern-Style Skillet Cornbread - Recipe Cooks Country ... Why this recipe works: Unlike sweet and cakey Northern versions that are better suited to the dessert table, Southern cornbread recipes contain neither sugar nor ... Skillet Cornbread Southern Style Recipe - Food.com - 19040 Traditionally this is made in a cast iron skillet. ... What's a Cookbook? You can save and organize your favorite recipes into FREE online cookbooks. White Lily - Baking Tips - Cornbread & Grits Cornbread & Grits. Cornbread; Grits; Cornbread. Do not beat batter until smooth. Over-mixing will result in corn bread that is peaked on top with a tough heavy texture. Melissa's Southern Style Kitchen: Iron Skillet Ham & Cheddar Cornbread Melissa Hi everyone! Thank you for stopping by to visit my cooking blog! I often get requests from friends and family to share the recipe of a particular ... Southern Style Skillet Cornbread - Bakingdom I just have a short, sweet, simple post/recipe for you today, because I got some fun new toys this week. Arent these just about the cutest things ever?! I found ... Spicy Skillet Cornbread Recipe - CHOW - Recipes, cooking tips ... Good cornbread is a great accent: neutral enough to avoid overwhelming the main dish, yet tasty enough to have you asking for seconds. Our version is prepared ... Beverly's Back Porch: Southern-Style Skillet Cornbread My "back porch" is my kitchen, my favorite room in the house. Come on in, the coffee is fresh, and I just made a pitcher of sweet tea. The cookies will be ... How to Prepare Southern Style Cornbread eHow.com Cornbread is a family tradition to many people in the South. This delicious corn meal-based bread tastes great and is easy to prepare. A great dish to serve at ...