Rania's Recipes: John's Napoleon
Rania Harris stopped by PTL to show off a special and emotional recipe she first made for her oldest son's high school graduation.
John's Napoleon
- 1 cup + 1 ½ tablespoons sugar
- 6 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 2/3 cup whipping cream
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of 17 1/4 oz package) - thawed
- 12 ounces chilled mascarpone cheese
- 3 large bananas - peeled, thinly sliced on diagonal
- Powdered sugar
Directions:
Combine 1 cup sugar, water and lemon juice in heavy small saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil without stirring until syrup turns deep amber. Remove from heat and carefully add cream. Stir until smooth. Transfer caramel to small bowl. Cover and chill for 3 hours.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Roll out pastry on lightly floured surface to 15x12-inch rectangle. Cut crosswise into three 12x5-inch strips. Transfer pastry strips to prepared baking sheets, spacing evenly. Chill 10 minutes. Pierce pastry with fork. Bake until golden - about 15 minutes. Cool on racks.
Set aside ½ cup caramel for decoration.
Place the mascarpone in a medium size bowl and add 1 ½ tablespoons sugar until smooth – beat until smooth. Add remaining caramel and beat until caramel cream is well blended. Trim pastry layers so that they are even. Y , Place 1 strip on work surface. Spread with ¼ of caramel cream. Arrange half of the banana slices in single layer over caramel cream. Spread second pastry strip with 1/4 of caramel cream. Place pastry - cream side down - atop bananas. Spread top of second pastry strip with 1/4 of caramel cream. Arrange remaining bananas in single layer over. Spread remaining pastry strip with remaining caramel cream. Place pastry, caramel cream side down, atop bananas. Using serrated knife, cut pastry crosswise into 8 equal pieces. Sift powdered sugar over. Place napoleons on plates. Drizzle reserved caramel around.
Serves: 6
