Here’s a delicious Strawberry Napoleon recipe—layers of flaky puff pastry, creamy custard, and fresh strawberries 🍓🥮
Strawberry Napoleons
Serves: 4–6 | Prep: 30 min | Chill: 1 hour
Ingredients
For the pastry:
- 1 sheet puff pastry (thawed if frozen)
- 1 tbsp sugar (optional, for sprinkling)
For the pastry cream (custard):
- 2 cups whole milk
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
For assembly:
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Bake the puff pastry:
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Roll out puff pastry to smooth any folds. Cut into rectangles (~3×4 inches).
- Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, prick lightly with a fork, sprinkle sugar if desired.
- Bake 12–15 min until golden brown. Let cool completely.
- Make the pastry cream:
- In a saucepan, heat milk until warm.
- In a separate bowl, whisk sugar, cornstarch, and egg yolks until smooth.
- Slowly pour warm milk into yolks, whisking constantly. Return mixture to saucepan.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened.
- Remove from heat, stir in butter and vanilla. Cool completely (chill if needed).
- Assemble Napoleons:
- Place one puff pastry rectangle on a plate.
- Spread or pipe a layer of pastry cream, then add sliced strawberries.
- Top with another puff pastry rectangle. Repeat layers if desired.
- Finish with a top layer of pastry.
- Serve:
- Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
- Optional: drizzle with chocolate or berry sauce.
Tips
- Extra crisp pastry: Bake puff pastry a little longer until golden and dry.
- Custard shortcut: Use store-bought vanilla pudding if short on time.
- Layering: Use a piping bag for a neat presentation.
- Fruit variations: Blueberries, raspberries, or kiwi work beautifully.
If you want, I can give you a no-bake strawberry Napoleon version using graham crackers or cookies instead of puff pastry—it’s faster but still decadent.
Do you want me to do that?
