Tropical Fruit Napoleon with Carmel Sauce

This layered dessert made up of a stack of pastry cream, phyllo pastry sheets, fruit and a caramel sauce, is an elegant ending to any meal.

Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 25 min

RECIPE
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Servings:

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

Pastry Cream
2 cups whole milk
1⁄2 vanilla bean, split
5 large egg yolks
2⁄3 cup sugar
4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
6 tablespoons cornstarch
2 1⁄2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup heavy cream

Phyllo Pastry
12 phyllo pastry sheets
1⁄3 cup ground almonds
1⁄3 cup vanilla sugar
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

Fruit
1 1⁄2 cups medium dice mango
1 1⁄2 cups medium dice papaya
1 1⁄2 cups medium dice kiwi
1 1⁄2 cups medium dice strawberry

Caramel Sauce
1 cup sugar
1⁄4 teaspoon lemon juice
3⁄4 cup heavy cream
2 ounces crème fraîche or butter

Allergens:

Eggs, Gluten, Milk, Tree Nuts, Wheat

Nutritional Information

Directions:

For the pastry cream: In a medium saucepan, bring milk and vanilla bean to a boil. Cover and set aside for 20 minutes. In a small bowl whisk egg yolks and sugar together. Reserve. In a second bowl dissolve gelatin in ½ cup of cold water until the gelatin “blooms.” Stir well and reserve.
Pour about of the hot milk into the yolk mixture. Stir well, then add yolk mixture to the remaining milk in the saucepan. Add cornstarch and bring back to a boil. Cook, stirring frequently until thick and no lumps remain. Remove from heat. Stir the gelatin into the milk mixture. Whisk in the butter. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to cool completely. Remove the vanilla bean.
Using an electric mixer, whip the cream until soft peaks form – approximately 3 minutes. Fold the whipped cream into the pastry cream. Chill until ready to use.
For the phyllo pastry: Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut the phyllo sheets into quarters. Make 48 pieces. Cover the phyllo with a damp towel. Combine the ground almonds and vanilla sugar in a small bowl.
Working quickly, move 1 phyllo piece from the damp towel and place on a work surface. Cover the remaining pieces. Brush the phyllo on the work surface with melted butter. Sprinkle with the nut mixture. Repeat until you have 4 layers. Transfer the phyllo stack to a baking sheet and repeat until you have used all of the phyllo pieces. Bake the stacks until golden brown – approximately 15-18 minutes. Let cool completely to room temperature. Reserve.
For the fruit: In a separate bowl, mix fruits together until combined. Reserve.
For the caramel sauce: Place the sugar, 4 teaspoons of water, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat until amber in color. Remove from heat and carefully pour in cream to avoid spatters. Stir with a wooden spoon until sugar dissolves completely. Add crème fraîche and stir until smooth. Reserve.
Place one phyllo stack on a serving plate. Place 2 tablespoons of pastry cream on the phyllo. Top with 1⁄2 cup of mixed fruit. Repeat until you have 2 layers of fruit and 3 layers of phyllo (ending with phyllo at the top). Pool caramel sauce around Napoleon. Serve immediately.