Cuceesprouts’ Paleo Napoleon

When I was young, no holiday gathering occurred without my mom’s Russian Napoleon – my favorite dessert in the entire world. Oh, those crispy layers of puff pastry sandwiched together with creamy and buttery custard. 

When I adopted a low-carb lifestyle, the hardest thing to give up was mom’s Napoleon, as I never dreamed of enjoying anything similar again.

Then about a year ago, I stumbled upon an Instagram post of a flourless meringue-based dessert – a post that changed my life forever. Inspired by the photograph, I recreated mom’s Napoleon with all the Cucee-Approved ingredients. 

I’m thrilled to be sharing my Napoleon with you, friends. It requires no fancy ingredients or skills but:

  • Unlike the original, my Napoleon is best enjoyed right away as the layers are still crisp and light. Once the layers absorb some of the custard, their texture changes to almost custard-like.
  • If your custard turns grainy – don’t sweat it. Just run it on high in a blender to make it smooth and homogenous.
  • The custard is a bit runny, to begin with. You can thicken it up by keeping it in the fridge a little longer before layering over the Dacquoise layers. 

Cuceesprouts’ Paleo Napoleon

Ingredients

Pastry cream

Dacquoise layers

Directions

Pastry Cream

  1. Bring the coconut cream to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sweetener and salt until well combined.
  2. Slowly whisk about half of the hot coconut cream into the yolks to temper, then slowly return the yolk+cream mixture back to the saucepan and cook until thickened, about 4 to 5 minutes, whisking continuously. It thickens up very suddenly and quickly, so watch it carefully!
  3. Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract. Sprinkle the surface with coconut flour, whisking as you go, to combine well. Let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for 3 hours. 

Dacquoise layers

  1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Combine almond flour and chopped almonds in a bowl. Set aside.
  3. Use an electric mixer with a whisk attachment to whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. With the motor running on medium-high speed, gradually add the sweetener, a little at a time, and whisking well after each addition, until medium-stiff peaks.
  4. Carefully fold the almond flour and chopped almonds mixed with a large spatula into the meringue until combined.
  5. Spread the mixture onto the baking sheet in an even layer. 
  6. Bake in the center of the oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden. Cool and set aside.

Napoleon Assembly

  1. Using a serrated knife, carefully cut the Dacquoise into four even rectangles. No need to trim the edges – keep them rustic looking.
  2. Using a wide flat spatula, carefully peel them from the parchment paper. 
  3. Position one meringue layer on a large serving plate and coat it evenly with the pastry cream. Cover with the second Dacquoise layer, repeat with the cream. Continue with the rest of the layers. You can leave the final layer dry or top it with the last of the cream.

Wine Pairing

I enjoy wine pre-dinner. It is my aperitif. So by the time, it is dessert time, I am on my second cup of tea. My current tea of choice is Earl Grey Supreme.

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