Raspberry Napoleon with lemon mousseline

INGREDIENTS

(serves six)

For the lemon mousseline (makes about 500ml - enough for about 20 servings)
2 eggs plus 2 yolks
100ml lemon juice
90g sugar
Grated zest of 1 lemon
200g unsalted butter at room temperature
150ml double cream

For the filo crescents
1 packet filo pastry
300g unsalted butter, melted
200g caster sugar
About 150g icing sugar

To assemble
18 crescents
Lemon mousseline
1 large punnet raspberries
Raspberry coulis

METHOD

Whisk eggs, juice, sugar and zest over a bain-marie till the mixture has a custard-like texture (about 15 minutes). Cool for about five minutes then stir in the cubed butter (like for lemon curd). Chill. Whisk the cream till it holds its shape and fold into the lemon curd mixture.

Divide the filo pastry into four and lay one layer on a worktop. Brush liberally with butter, sprinkle with caster sugar, cover with a second layer and then a third, making three sugared and buttered layers. Cover with the last layer and butter only. Using sharp 10cm and 7cm cutters, cut out 18 crescents. Arrange on a baking sheet covered with non-stick parchment. Dust with icing sugar, cover with baking parchment and a second baking sheet, so the pastry is sandwiched and bake 12-15 minutes at 180ºC. It may improve the finish if you turn the sheets upside-down halfway through baking.

Put a crescent on a plate, spoon the mousseline in the middle and lay raspberries round the inner edge. Cover with a second crescent. Repeat and top with a third crescent. Accompany with raspberry coulis.

Daniel Boulud

Photo © Sam Bailey