Easy Strawberry Napoleon Recipe

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400F (200C).
2. Turn out puff pastry onto a floured surface. Cut pastry, vertically into 3 equal-sized rectangles, then cut those horizontally into smaller, equal-sized rectangles.
3. Pierce pastry all over with a fork, transfer to a rimmed lined baking sheet, lined with parchment paper. Top pastries with another sheet of parchment paper, and place another rimmed lined baking sheet on top, essentially “sandwiching the puff pastry rectangles. This will prevent them from puffing up as they bake and will allow them to get golden brown and still remain flakey. Bake for 20-25 mins. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool.
4. TIP: Once completely cooled, the pastry can stay at room temperature on a cooling rack, covered with just a single pie of foil on top. Do not wrap the pastry or condensation can form and decrease the crispness.
5. To make the whipped cream, place the cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a bowl of an electric mixer and whisk on high enough stiff peaks form. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a round tip.
6. To serve, place 1 pastry rectangle on a dessert plate, spread 1 teaspoon of the jam evenly on the pastry. Pipe 6 mounds of whip cream (3 on the top of the rectangle, 3 on the bottom. Leaving space in between for 4 strawberries.
7. Slice tops of strawberries, making sure each strawberry is roughly the same height, and roughly the same height as your whipped cream mounds. Nestle the 4 strawberries in between the cream mounds. Two on top and 2 below.
8. Then take the second puff pastry rectangle, place a slotted spatula on top, dust powdered sugar over it, remove gently and decorative stripes will be left on your rectangle. Place pastry on top of your Napoleon. Pipe a mound of whipped cream on the center of the top, then leaving the top intact, slice this strawberry in half, and use it as a garnish, nestled in the center mound of cream, cut side up, going in opposite directions (tops facing each other)