Tip
You'll find creme caramels in the refrigerator section at the shops, in the vicinity of the chocolate mousse cups. You could use a tin of condensed milk with similar success, though it'll be sweeter.
Conquering Napoleon Every family has 'a cake', and Napoleon is ours. It's the Russian version of a French millefeuille ('one thousand layers') or the Australian vanilla slice, which makes sense, because the many, many layers of cream and pastry in a traditional Napoleon are a bit like a babushka doll crossed with a millefeuille, and just as complex to make.
Of course, my mum is the shortcut queen, so hers is the cheat's version because ain't nobody got time for 18 layers.
Instead, she blends the best bits - flaky puff pastry and a custardy creme patissiere - with a sprinkling of icing sugar and spare pastry flakes to finish (because she also doesn't believe in waste).
Speaking of blending and shortcuts, instead of making Creme Patissiere from scratch (French pastry cream, see recipe at right), Mum simply blends store-bought creme caramels with cream to help set it, and for bonus flavour, which I discovered only very recently.
You could say this is an old family recipe', but really, it's more of an old family philosophy: find the shortcuts to success, leave nothing behind, and always say “yes” to a second piece of Napoleon.
This story is from the November 2022 edition of Your Home and Garden.
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This story is from the November 2022 edition of Your Home and Garden.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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