Apple Napoleons with Dulce de Leche

This past week's Top Chef challenge was to come up with "New American" cuisine to be served at Tom Colicchio's Craft restaurant in NYC. There seemed to be some confusion as to just what New American may mean, but my personal feeling is that New American is more fusion than anything else.

America has become such a melting pot (wasn't it always, though?) and expressing that through food really shouldn't be so complicated. I admit to patting myself on the back when Rhadika's dessert wontons were well-received, because I had just done similar a few weeks ago at Family.com, sans the mousse. While Carla's apple dessert was obviously well-liked, I can't help but think I'd have done it differently.

What would I have done? Well, I think the French Napoleon crossed with the classic American apple pie and a Mexican dulce de leche would be about perfect - and I have to say, they were!

Apple Napoleons with Dulce de Leche
Makes 6 pastries

2 sheets puff pastry cut into 3 inch squares - 18 total
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 large apples peeled, cored and sliced thinly
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup dulce de leche
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Bake pastry squares according to package directions until golden brown. Set aside.
Melt butter in a skillet and add apples, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cook until apples are soft and lightly caramelized - about 10 minutes. Heat dulce de leche and keep warm. Add powdered sugar to cream and beat until stiff peaks form.

Lay out 6 pastry squares and top each with whipped cream, apples and dulce de leche. Repeat a second layer for each. Top each with a pastry square, whipped cream and a sprinkling of cinnamon.

Salmon Napoleons

I got around to making the Napoleons I mentioned in the Ready, Set, Cook! recipes this week. There is a little difference in these; there was NO WAY I was going to pay $6.50 for 4 oz of smoked salmon (that's $26 a pound!). Not this week at least.

So, using canned (I know-wet noodle lashing coming up) I went ahead and made them. They turned out well and tasted great. I would still recommend using smoked salmon if you can afford it; the flavor is just better against the subdued flavor of the cream cheese.

I didn't write out a full recipe, but this is what I did;

Using one sheet of puff pastry, separate into thirds on folds. Cut each third into three squares. Bake as directed on package. Separate into halves when they are done and cool completely.

Cream 4 oz neufchatel cheese with a mixer. Turn speed up to high and add 1/2 cup of heavy cream in a thin stream until fluffy. Fold in 1 T each fresh dill and sliced green onion. Fold in 1 clove minced garlic.

Spread a tablespoon of cream cheese mixture on the bottom half of each puff pastry square. Top with salmon-smoked or otherwise, enough to cover the cream cheese. Top with the remaining pastry squares. Serve at room temp for best flavor.

The one in the photo was the first one-I was assembling it in the classic Napoleon style. Three layers of pastry was too much, though so the rest were done with a single top and bottom.

Ready, Set, Cook! #31 The rules, they are a changin'.

Before we get to it, PLEASE click on the button above, even if you have played before, for full NEW rules of play.

Today's three ingredients are:

puff pastry
smoked salmon
heavy cream

Bit of a challenge, but I have no fear that you all are not equal to the task.