Lady Fingers

I love playing off the idea of tiramisu by adding seasonal ingredients and using ladyfingers for my base. I was excited to see that Epicurious has a recipe for homemade ladyfingers, as they are not terribly cheap. The recipe takes a little bit, but the result is worth the effort.

Ingredients: (from Epicurious.com)
5 large eggs, separated, at room temperature 30 minutes
2/3 cup sugar, divided
7/8 cup all-purpose flour
Confectioners sugar for dusting
Equipment: a pastry bag with 3/4-inch opening

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

Beat yolks with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale yellow, then gradually beat in all but 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar.

Beat at medium-high speed until pale yellow, tripled in volume, and thick enough to form a ribbon that takes 5 seconds to dissolve when beater is lifted, 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle flour over mixture and stir until just combined (batter will be very stiff).

Beat egg whites with cleaned beaters until they just hold soft peaks.

Add remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar in a slow stream, then beat until whites hold stiff peaks.

Stir one third of whites into yolk mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly. Spoon batter into pastry bag.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment, piping a dab of batter under each corner to secure. Pipe 2 rows of (3 1/2-inch-long) ladyfingers (12 to 16 per row) onto sheet, piping them so they almost touch. Dust with confectioners sugar.

Bake until pale golden, dry, and soft but springy to the touch, 14 to 16 minutes. Cool completely on baking sheet.

Pineapple Napoleons with Coconut-Chocolate Glaze

5 tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup whole milk or evaporated skim milk
4 large egg yolks
6 ounces cream cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, room temperature
2 cans diced pineapple
1 package frozen puff pastry (2 sheets, about 17 ounces)
3/4 cup cream of coconut
8 ounces of chocolate

Mince pineapple or use a food processor to make into a slush. Cook with juice in saucepan over medium heat. Cook about 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally until puree has thickened. Add 2 tablespoons sugar Cook on low heat an additional 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Blend 3 tablespoons sugar and cornstarch in medium sauce pan. Add 1/4 cup milk, whisking until cornstarch has dissolved. Whisk in remaining milk and yolks. Over medium heat, whisk occasionally until mixture is smooth, thick and is just starting to boil (about 2-3 minutes). Remove from heat. Add cream cheese and, using a mixer, beat until smooth. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface of pastry cream and chill until cold.

Use mixer to beat in 1/3 cup pineapple puree so that pastry cream has an even, smooth appearance.

Roll out puff pastry sheets on wax paper-lined baking sheets so that they are about 1/8 inch thick. Prick all over with a fork. Bake about 10 minutes the cool on cookie rack. Once the pastry has cooled, cut them carefully (serrated knife works best) into three even parts, this should give you 6 pieces total.

Spread 1/2 of pineapple puree evenly onto 2 puff pastry pieces. Top each with 1/4 of pineapple cream (1/2 of total cream). Top each with another puff pastry piece. Spread remaining pineapple puree on top of both sheets. Top with remaining pineapple cream, and finally with remaining 2 puff pastry sheets.

Melt chocolate in double boiler over medium heat (Do not allow to bubble/boil, as this will burn the chocolate). As it melts, whisk in coconut cream until mixture is shiny and smooth. Remove from heat. Let cool until sauce is no longer hot but still falls freely from spoon.

Drizzle chocolate coconut sauce diagonally over napoleons. Repeat in opposite direction to form diamond pattern. Slice napoleons according to personal preference (my servings tend to be a bit large...) and enjoy!