LEMON CREAM FILLO NAPOLEAN - PART I

LEMON CREAM FILLO NAPOLEAN - PART I image

Yield 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 16

For the lemon cream:
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
For the caramelized fillo:
8 sheets fillo pastry, each at least 16-inch by 11-inch in size
4 ounces (1 stick) butter, melted
8 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
For serving:
Half pint fresh blackberries
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

Steps:

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.