Roquefort Napoleon
- 1/2 pound puff pastry (see note)
- 1 pound ripe Roquefort
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 4 ounces mascarpone cheese
- 1 ounce port
- 1 very ripe pear
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1/4 cup creme fraiche
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 13 cup walnuts, finely chopped
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Line a 12-by-18-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to a thickness of one-eighth inch, approximately the size of the baking sheet.
- Sprinkle the parchment lightly with water and place the rolled pastry on the sheet.
- Poke the dough with a fork all over.
- Bake for 12 minutes or until golden.
- When baked, remove the pastry with the parchment to a wire rack and allow to cool.
- Using the paddle of a mixing machine, blend three-quarters of a pound of Roquefort with the cream cheese until smooth.
- Fold in the mascarpone and port.
- Set aside.
- Crumble the remaining Roquefort and set aside.
- Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the pastry crosswise into six equal strips, each about 2 inches by 10 inches.
- Peel the pear and slice into one-quarter-inch thin "sheets."
- Using a long metal spatula, coat one strip of pastry with a thin layer of the cheese mixture.
- Place a single layer of pears over the cheese and coat the pears with more cheese mixture.
- Place another strip on top and coat with the cheese mixture.
- Sprinkle with crumbled Roquefort and coat with more cheese mixture; cover with a final strip of pastry.
- Repeat once more with the remaining pastry strips and set aside.
- (Extra cheese mixture can be used as a spread on crackers.)
- In a small bowl, whisk the creme fraiche with the heavy cream and set aside.
- Lightly dust the top surfaces of the pastry with paprika through the mesh of a fine sieve.
- Dip the tines of a fork into the cream mixture and rapidly drizzle the cream over the top.
- Sprinkle with the chopped walnuts.
- Cut into one-inch widths for hors d'oeuvres or into six triangles as a first course or cheese course.
pastry, cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, port, very, paprika, creme fraiche, heavy cream, walnuts
Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/10341 (may not work)