Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 2 (65 page)

If you cannot find molds for cream horns, you may find metal molds suitable for pastry rolls; or use pieces of well-oiled unvarnished wood 5 to 6 inches long, such as a cut-up broom handle. Form, bake, and fill puff pastry rolls in the same general manner described and
illustrated for horns
. When baked with the preceding cheese filling, stuff whiskers of cheese into both ends to prevent filling from oozing out.

MILLE-FEUILLES À LA FONDUE DE FROMAGE

[Cheese Napoleons]

You will probably find far more use for cheese Napoleons than for pastry-cream dessert Napoleons. They make an elegant first course or luncheon
dish and are practically as easy to assemble as the count of one-two-three—when you have ready-made puff pastry on hand. A thin sheet of baked puff pastry is cut into squares or rectangles that are sandwiched together with the cheese
fondue
filling and baked until the filling is bubbling hot.

For 6 to 8 servings

1 sheet of baked puff pastry 12 by 16 inches in diameter (
Napoleons
; Steps 1 and 2)

A ruler or cutting guide

A pastry wheel or very sharp knife

Cut the baked puff pastry either into three 4- by 16-inch strips, and cut each strip into squares 4 inches to a side; or cut the pastry into four 3-inch strips 16 inches long, and cut each into 4 rectangles (making 12 squares, or 16 rectangles).

The
cheese fondue filling

3 to 4 Tb grated Parmesan cheese

A lightly buttered baking sheet

Preheat oven to 375 degrees about half an hour before you wish to serve. Have the filling and grated cheese ready. Place half the puff pastry pieces on the baking sheet. Spread a 3-tablespoon lump of the filling on each, but leaving a ¼-inch free border of pastry all around. Lightly press a second piece of pastry, best side uppermost, on top. Sprinkle on a half teaspoon of grated cheese.

Bake for about 15 minutes in preheated oven, upper-middle level, until cheese topping has colored lightly and cheese filling is bubbling hot—be careful not to bake too long and burn the pastry. Serve immediately.

(*)
AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE
: You may form the
mille-feuilles
for baking an hour or so in advance.

FEUILLETÉE AU FROMAGE—JALOUSIE AU FROMAGE

[Peekaboo Cheese Tart of French Puff Pastry]

Another delicious puff pastry for first courses, luncheons, or for slicing and serving with cocktails is the
feuilletée
. Quick to assemble, when you
have puff pastry dough on hand, it is done exactly like
the jam tart
.

For a 6- by 16-inch, tart, serving 6 people

1)
Forming the tart

½ the recipe for
simple puff pastry
, or
reconstituted leftovers

A dampened pastry sheet

A table fork

Either
½ to ⅔ the
cheese fondue filling
;

Or
4 to 6 ounces Roquefort cheese or blue cheese, and 1 egg beaten with ½ cup
crème fraîche
or heavy cream, salt, pepper, and Tabasco

Roll half the pastry into an 8- by 18-inch rectangle ⅛ inch thick. Roll up on pin, and unroll topside down onto dampened pastry sheet. Prick all over at ⅛-inch intervals with tines of fork, going right down through to pastry sheet.