| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 25 min |
| Prep: | 1 hr |
| Cook: | 25 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half a 17.3-ounce package), thawed
- All-purpose flour, for dusting, if needed
- 3 tablespoons sugar, divided
- Strawberry-Rhubarb Filling, recipe follows
- Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
- Creme Fraiche Ice Cream, recipe follows
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 pound rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
- 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 2 pints strawberries, sliced, divided
- 2 cups milk
- 2 tablespoons plus 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 cups creme fraiche
- 1 cup sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Unfold the pastry sheet on your work surface. If the pastry sticks a bit, dust with some flour. Roll the dough out to about a 10-inch square. Cut the square into 4 (5-inch) squares, then cut these in half diagonally to make 8 triangles. Evenly sprinkle all the triangles with the 2 tablespoons sugar. Put the triangles, sugar-side up, on the baking sheet. Pop in the oven and bake until nicely puffed and golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool. Slice in half horizontally (a serrated knife is best for this job).
- Put a halved triangle on your serving plate. Spread some Strawberry-Rhubarb filling on top, stack another halved triangle and more filling on top of that and repeat to make 4 layers total. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with more sauce on the side. Scoop some Creme Fraiche Ice Cream alongside. Serve the napoleons immediately.
- Whisk the sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl, making sure there are no lumps. Add the rhubarb, sugar-cornstarch mixture, orange zest and juice and half the strawberries to a saucepan. Give it a good stir. Let this mixture sit about 15 minutes off the heat so it macerates (gets nice and juicy). Then put the pan over medium-high heat and let cook until the rhubarb is tender but still holds its shape, giving it a stir now and then, about 7 minutes. Let it cool for about 15 minutes, and then stir in the rest of the strawberries.
- Pour the milk into a large bowl, add the 2 tablespoons lemon juice and let it sit for a couple of minutes.
- Add the creme fraiche, the remaining 1/3 cup lemon juice and the sugar. Give it a whisk until thoroughly combined. Pour into an ice cream maker and churn as per the manufacturer’s instructions, then pop in the freezer until it’s firm.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 1276 |
| Total Fat | 50 g |
| Saturated Fat | 21 g |
| Carbohydrates | 201 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 7 g |
| Sugar | 156 g |
| Protein | 14 g |
| Cholesterol | 70 mg |
| Sodium | 266 mg |
Reviews
Engaging on-air personality who is a bona fide pastry chef and imparts “chef tip” knowledge along with the recipes. Even when I don’t intend to make what it is she’s cooking, I love to watch her for what I learn. A la the best of Food Network’s other professional chefs, Anne Burrell, and top dog cooking professional, Alton Brown.
As for this recipe – very nice twist on classic strawberry rhubarb combo, with easy tip on neat new application of puff pastry. Omitted the “lid” level of the pastry. Beautiful on the plate too. It sings Spring.
Even at that, it would have been four stars but the creme fraiche ice cream bumps it up to five! Wicked good ice cream and so simple to make. Will be used again and again this summer with fresh berries and baked stonefruit. Next time I plan to add just a pinch of salt in with the sugar. Seriously.