Chocolate Napoleons

Chocolate Napoleons	Louvre museum, Paris, France
Puff Pastry 3 c. and 1 T. unbleached flour 6 T. chilled unsalted butter (3/4 stick) 2 tsp. salt 1 1/8 c. iced water	Measure flour into medium bowl. Cut chilled butter into quarter inch pieces and add to flour. Cut butter into flour with pastry blender until it resembles coarse meal. Blend the salt into the iced water and pour into flour and butter mixture. Blend with fork, pressing dough into a mass. Lift mass out of bowl. Sprinkle any unmoistened flour with a bit more water and press together, then add to mass. Shape into rough cushion shape, sprinkle lightly with flour, wrap in plastic, seal in plastic bag and chill for 40 min.
¾ lb. (3 sticks) chilled unsalted butter ½ c. unbleached flour	Bash butter with a rolling pin (a silicone-coated batard is ideal) to soften and smear with the heel of your hand. Knead in the flour and form into 5” square. Set aside. Roll the chilled dough into a 13” diameter circle. Place the butter in the middle of the circle. Fold edges of dough over the butter, enclosing it completely and sealing edges. Bash dough with rolling pin to mobilize butter, then roll packet into 16” x 8” rectangle. Fold into thirds like a business letter. Repeat rolling and folding. Wrap dough, return to plastic bag, and chill 40 to 60 mins. (Turns One and Two). Repeat rolling and folding twice more, then chill for one hour. (Turns Three and Four) Roll dough into 14” rectangle. Cut in half and rewrap and chill one half while working with the other. Butter four air-bake cookie sheets (13 ½” x 15”). Roll dough half into 13” x 14” rectangle. Pick up by rolling onto rolling pin and place on cookie sheet. Prick pastry all over at 1/8” intervals. Repeat with second half of dough and second cookie sheet. Cover and chill for 30”. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Uncover chilled dough. Place a second buttered cookie sheet upside down over dough on each sheet and bake on upper or middle rack of oven. After 5 minutes, remove covering cookie sheet, prick dough, and return covering cookie sheet, pressing down on dough lightly. Repeat after 6 more minutes, and again after another 6 minutes (switch position of cookie sheets in the oven at this time.) When dough has set and is beginning to brown, remove covering sheets and allow dough to crisp and turn golden (2 or 3 minutes). If dough continues to puff, prick again and re-cover with cookie sheets. (Baking time is shorter if you are not using insulated cookie sheets.) Remove from oven and cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes with covering sheet on top to prevent curling. Trim edges with sharp knife to make even dough shape. Cut into 2 ½” x 2” rectangles and allow to cool on rack. When cool, use immediately or wrap air-tight and freeze.
Chocolate Mousse 4 eggs, separated 3/4 c. sugar 3 T. sherry 1 T. orange juice 6 oz. semisweet chocolate 1/4 c. water 1 tsp. instant coffee 3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 1 T. sugar	Beat egg yolks with 3/4 c. sugar until thick and pale yellow. Beat in sherry and orange juice. Transfer to microwave-proof bowl and microwave at medium energy, whisking every 30 seconds, until hot and thick. Remove from microwave and whisk over cold water until cool. In a separate bowl, microwave the chocolate with the water and coffee. Beat in the butter, 2 T. at a time, microwaving as necessary to melt butter. Beat the chocolate mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form soft peaks. Add 1 T. sugar and beat until stiff peaks are formed. Stir 1/4 of the egg whites into the chocolate and egg yolk mixture, then fold the chocolate mixture into the rest of the egg whites. Chill.
Assembly 1 qt. good quality chocolate ice cream ¼ c. confectioner’s sugar 1 T. cocoa	To assemble Napoleons, soften good quality chocolate ice cream and spread ½” thick on one third of pastry rectangles. Top with another rectangle and wrap individually in plastic wrap. Freeze solid. When ready to serve, unwrap and cut each “sandwich” diagonally with a serrated knife. Top each triangle with 2 T. of chocolate mousse. Cut remaining pastry rectangles into triangles and place one on top of mousse. Combine confectioner’s sugar and cocoa in shaker and sprinkle on top of Napoleon. Serve immediately.
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