Recipe: Strawberry—Lemon Napoleons

By Nancy Caivano

Strawberry—Lemon Napoleons

Serves 8

Ingredients:

For lemon cream:
1 tsp unflavored gelatin
2 tbsp cold water
3/4 cup frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
6 tbsp sugar
6 tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
4 egg yolks
1 egg
1/2 cup chilled cream

For phyllo pastries:
5 fresh phyllo pastry sheets or frozen, thawed
6 tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
5 tbsp sugar

For strawberry sauce:
4-1/2 cups sliced hulled strawberries, divided
6 tbsp sugar
Powdered sugar
10 whole strawberries

Method:

Make lemon cream:
Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in small bowl; let stand until soft, about 10 minutes. Combine lemonade concentrate, sugar, butter, yolks and egg in medium metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water; whisk until candy thermometer registers 160 degrees F., (about 5 minutes). Remove from over water; whisk in gelatin mixture. Strain into large bowl. Set in larger bowl of ice water. Stir until mixture is cool and beginning to thicken but not set, about 10 minutes. Beat cream in medium bowl to firm peaks; fold into lemon mixture. Chill at least 4 hours.

Make phyllo pastries:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place 1 phyllo sheet on work surface (cover remaining phyllo with plastic wrap and damp towel). Brush phyllo with butter; sprinkle with sugar. Repeat with remaining phyllo, butter and sugar. Cut phyllo stack into twenty 3-inch squares. Transfer squares to baking sheets. Bake until dark golden, watching closely, about 12 minutes. Transfer to racks; cool.

Make strawberry sauce:
Simmer 2-1/4 cups sliced strawberries and 6 tablespoons sugar in heavy medium saucepan until strawberries are soft, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. purée in processor. Strain into small bowl. Chill.

Place 10 phyllo squares on work surface. Transfer lemon cream to pastry bag fitted with large star tip. Pipe lemon cream over squares, leaving 1/2-inch border on sides. Arrange remaining sliced berries in single layer over cream. Pipe small rosette of cream atop berries. Top each with phyllo square. Pipe rosette of cream atop phyllo. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Garnish each with whole berry. Serve with sauce.