epicurious
Francia Krémes
This showstopper of puff pastry layers sandwiched with a cream filling is even richer than its French cousin, the Napoleon. It's a Hungarian dessert specialty.
👥 1 Servings⏱️ Prep & Cook: 3h 35m🔥 Cook: 2h 5m👤 Rick Rogers📖 epicurious
🥘 Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you prepare them:
🍳 Cookware
- ●bowl
- ●knife
- ●pan
- ●oven
- ●whisk
- ●baking sheet
- ●spatula
- ●saucepan
- ●skillet
- ●microwave
📝 Preparation Steps
1
To make the puff pastry
2
To make the dough: Measure 1 ½ cups plus 2 tablespoons flour and salt into a medium bowl and make a well in the center. Mix the water and rum and stir into the flour to make a sticky dough (add droplets of water if needed). Gather up the dough and transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Knead a few times, just until the dough smooths out a bit (it will still be slightly sticky and rough looking). Wrap the dough loosely in plastic wrap and shape into a 6-inch square. Refrigerate for about ⏱️ 20 minutes or up to ⏱️ 1 hour.
3
To make the butter mixture: Combine the butter and 6 tablespoons of the flour in a medium bowl. Using your knuckles and fingertips, work the two together until the butter is smooth and malleable, but still cool. (An instant-read thermometer will read 60°F.) Scrape onto a piece of plastic wrap and wrap loosely. Using a rolling pin as an aide, roll and shape into a 5 ½ -inch square. If the temperature isn’t 60°F, refrigerate or let stand at room temperature until it reaches that point.
4
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into an 8-inch square. Unwrap the butter square and place in the center of the dough, with the corners of the butter square pointing north, south, east, and west. Using the back of a knife, lightly mark the perimeter of the butter square on the dough, and remove the butter square. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough from each mark to make four 4-inch long “petals.” Replace the butter square in the center of the dough. Brushing off the flour as you work, fold each petal over to enclose the dough.
5
Dust the work surface and the top of the dough with flour. Roll out the dough into a 14 X 7-inch rectangle. Brush off the flour on the dough. As if folding a business letter, stretching the corners of the dough as well as possible to keep them at right angles, fold the top third of the dough down, then the bottom third of the dough up, making a three-layer rectangle about 4 ½ X 7 inches. This is called a single turn. Reposition the dough so the open side faces left. Dust the top of the dough with flour, and roll again into a 14 X 7-inch rectangle. Brush off the flour. Fold the top quarter of the dough down, then the bottom quarter of the dough up to meet in the center. Fold the dough in half at the center crease to make a four-layer rectangle about 3 ½ X 7 inches. This is called a double turn. Gently roll the dough to slightly flatten it, then wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 20 to ⏱️ 30 minutes.
6
Return the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Repeat step four, giving the dough another single turn, then another double turn. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least ⏱️ 4 hours. The dough can be prepared up to 2 days ahead, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, and refrigerated. It can also be frozen for up to 1 month, and thawed overnight in the refrigerator before using.
7
To make the Francia Krémes
8
Turn a 15½ by 10½-inch jelly-roll pan upside down, and cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the underside. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out half a batch of the puff pastry slightly larger than the paper, and slide it onto the paper. Transfer to the underside of the pan (the pastry will shrink slightly). Roll out the pastry again on the pan so it fits the paper. Using a fork or a pastry docker, pierce the pastry well. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and freeze for 20 to ⏱️ 30 minutes.
9
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 400°F. Using a pastry wheel or a very sharp knife, trim the pastry to make an even rectangle. Cover with another sheet of parchment paper, and top with a large roasting pan (the pastry must be completely weighed down). Bake until the pastry is set and beginning to brown at the edges, about ⏱️ 20 minutes.
10
Reduce the heat to 350°F, remove the roasting pan and the top parchment paper, and leave the oven door open for about ⏱️ 30 seconds to drop the temperature. Close the door and continue baking until the pastry is golden, about ⏱️ 15 minutes. Remove the pastry from the oven; leave the oven on. Cool the pastry for ⏱️ 10 minutes. Using a serrated knife, cut into three strips, each about 3½ X 15½ inches (the center will still appear slightly uncooked). Return the strips to the oven and bake for ⏱️ 10 minutes, or until the pastry is crisp and golden brown. Turn off the oven, prop the door ajar, and cool the pastry in the oven.
11
To make the icing: Dissolve the coffee in the boiling water in a small bowl. Sift the confectioners’ sugar into a medium bowl. Add the coffee and whisk until smooth, adding additional droplets of water if needed to get a pourable icing.
12
Place the center strip, smooth underside up, on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Pour all of the icing over the strip. Using an offset spatula, spread the icing over the pastry, letting the excess run down the sides. Let stand until the icing sets, about ⏱️ 20 minutes.
13
To make the filling: Pour ½ cup of the milk into a medium saucepan, sprinkle with the cornstarch, and whisk to dissolve. Whisk in the sugar and yolks. Heat the remaining 1 cup of milk in a separate saucepan. Whisk into the yolk mixture and bring to a full boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla. Transfer to a large bowl set in a larger bowl of ice water and let stand, stirring often, until the pastry cream is cooled.
14
Meanwhile, combine the water and rum in a small heat-proof bowl and sprinkle the gelatin on top. Let stand until the rum soaks up the gelatin, about ⏱️ 5 minutes. Place in a skillet with ½ inch of simmering water and stir constantly until the gelatin dissolves. (Or cook in the microwave on medium power at 10-second intervals, scraping down the sides and stirring well with a small rubber spatula after each interval, until the gelatin is completely dissolved.) Let stand until the gelatin is tepid, but still liquid.
15
In a chilled medium bowl, beat the cream with a handheld electric mixer at high speed just until soft peaks form. With the mixer running, pour the gelatin directly into the blades and beat until the cream is stiff. Stir one fourth of the whipped cream into the pastry cream, then fold in the remaining whipped cream. Don’t worry if the filling looks slightly lumpy; it will even out during spreading and chilling. Let the filling stand in the ice-water bath, folding occasionally, until chilled and firm enough to spread, 10 to ⏱️ 15 minutes.
16
Place one of the un-iced pastry strips on a 15½ by 10½-inch cardboard rectangle. Using an offset spatula, spread with half of the filling. Top with the second strip and the remaining filling, pressing gently to even the filling layers. Top with the iced strip. Refrigerate until the filling is chilled and completely set, at least ⏱️ 1 hour and up to overnight.
17
To serve, use a serrated knife to cut crosswise into 8 to 10 slices. Serve chilled. The slices can be made up to 1 day ahead, covered loosely with plastic wrap, and stored in the refrigerator.
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