Lemon Cream Fillo Napoleon
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 1 cup lemon juice
- 3 teaspoons powdered gelatin
- 8 whole eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 12 ounces (3 sticks) butter, diced
- 8 sheets fillo pastry, each at least 16-inch by 11-inch in size
- 4 ounces (1 stick) butter, melted
- 8 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
- Half pint fresh blackberries
- 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
- Place the lemon zest in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Spoon 4 tablespoons of the lemon juice into a very small bowl, sprinkle with the gelatin and set aside to thicken and almost set.
- Place the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, salt, and remaining lemon juice in the bowl with the lemon zest and whisk together.
- Pour into a saucepan, add the butter and cook over med-low heat, whisking constantly, until the custard begins to thicken.
- Just before boiling remove from the heat and add the now thickened lemon gelatin mixture.
- Pour the whole mixture through a fine mesh strainer set over a medium bowl.
- Cover the surface directly with plastic wrap and chill overnight until set quite firm.
- The next day, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Unwrap the sheets of fillo and cover with damp cloth or a piece of plastic wrap.
- You should work quickly to avoid the fillo drying out.
- Lay two pieces of parchment paper measuring about 16 by 11-inches out on large chopping board.
- Brush each piece of paper with a thin layer of butter and sift two tablespoons of confectioners' sugar onto each one.
- Lay a sheet of fillo onto each of the papers and now brush that with butter also.
- Continue to layer the fillo and butter on each stack to give 4 fillo layers in total, finishing with a butter layer.
- Finally, sift 2 tablespoons of confectioners' sugar on top of each.
- Lay another sheet of parchment paper measuring 16 by 11-inches on top and use this as a guide to trim the pastry edges using a sharp knife.
- Next, remove the top sheet of parchment and using the knife, divide each fillo stack in half down the length (to give four 5.5-inches wide and 16-inches long rectangles).
- Make light score marks (not cutting through) with the knife across the opposite way and at 2-inch intervals to give 8 portion marks when serving.
- Slide each stack onto a sheet pan, butter the top sheets of parchment paper and place them butter side down on top.
- Finally, place another sheet pan on top of each stack (which will ensure the pastry will cook thin and crispy).
- Bake for 15 minutes, until crisp and golden brown.
- Remove the top sheet pans and allow the pastries to cool completely.
- To assemble, set one long rectangle onto a large platter and spread over 1/4 of the lemon cream evenly.
- Continue to layer up the fillo and lemon cream ending with a fillo top, to give 4 fillo layers and 3 lemon cream layers.
- There should be a remaining 1/4 of lemon cream still in the bowl to make a sauce with.
- To do this, add a 1/4 cup of hot tap water and whisk until smooth and drizzly in consistency.
- Finally, prepare the blackberries.
- Tip them into a small bowl and lightly crush them with a fork to bring out their juices.
- Add 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar and toss together.
- Using a very sharp knife carefully cut the Napoleon into 8 portions using the score marks as a guide.
- Drizzle some lemon sauce on each serving plate and place a portion of Napoleon in the center of each one.
- Spoon the crushed blackberries around and serve at once.
lemons, lemon juice, powdered gelatin, eggs, egg yolks, granulated sugar, salt, butter, pastry, butter, sugar, fresh blackberries, sugar
Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/lemon-cream-fillo-napoleon-recipe.html (may not work)