Red Raspberry Napoleons #43

                                              Red Raspberry Napoleons  (page 314)


 1/2 tsp. unflavored gelatin

 3 large egg yolks

 1 large egg

 salt

 1/2 cup plus 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar

 1/4 cup flour

2 cups half-and-half, or whole milk

1 tsp. vanilla

2 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter

1 pkg. frozen phyllo dough, thawed

6 ounces unsalted butter, melted

1 cup sugar, approx.

5 cups fresh raspberries

1/4 cup orange juice
1 tsp. grated orange zest

3 Tbsp. confectioners' sugar

1. In a small pan, combine gelatin with 1/4 cup cold water. Place over low heat, and stir until gelatin has softened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside.


2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine egg yolks, whole egg, salt and 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Whisk to blend. Add flour, and whisk until smooth.

3. In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the half-and-half and 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Add vanilla. Stir to dissolve sugar, bring to a boil, and immediately remove from the heat.

4. Whisk about 1 cup of the hot half-and-half into the egg mixture, then immediately pour the egg mixture back into saucepan.

5. Return pan to medium heat, and whisk constantly until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Add reserved gelatin, reduce heat to low, and whisk two minutes more. Remove from heat and whisk in the chilled butter. Pour into shallow container, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until well chilled, about 4 hours.

6. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut eight 2 x 4 inch rectangles from each stack of phyllo dough. Brush each rectangle lightly with melted butter, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 400 degrees until lightly golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool. 

7. In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine 2 1/2 cups raspberries, orange juice, zest and 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar. Cook, stirring until raspberries are soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and transfer to a blender.Process until smooth. 

8. Pour sauce through a very fine sieve, pressing to extract all of the puree. Discard the seeds. Pour the sauce into a nonreactive container and refrigerate.

9. Set aside 20 raspberries. Place a rectangle of phyllo on each of 4 plates. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of pastry cream onto the phyllo, and top with a few raspberries.Repeat to make another layer if desired. Lightly sift confectioners' sugar over the top. Serve in a pool of sauce, and garnish with raspberries. Serves 4 people.