Mil Hojas - Dulce de Leche - Napoleon

 

 

Mil hojas means a thousand 'sheets' or 'leaves' (in this case, layers of pastry), and there are almost a thousand South American interpretations of this classic French dessert, the napolean. This dulce de leche variation is quick and easy, looks beautiful, and is simply delicious. Serve it with fresh fruit, or dress it up with a layer or two of pastry cream. Some people like to roll the edges in coconut (spread some extra dulce de leche around the the sides to help the coconut stick).

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 package frozen puff pastry dough
• 1 cup dulce de leche
• Powdered sugar
• Fresh fruit
• Vanilla pastry cream (optional)

Filling: (dulce de leche)

Dulce de leche (also known as manjar, manjar blanco, and arequipe) is a thick caramel sauce made from milk and sugar. Dulce de leche is the key ingredient in many Latin desserts and pastries. It has a rich caramel flavor that pairs well with both fruit and chocolate, and it makes a wonderful filling for cakes.   Try dulce de leche in your own recipes. I promise you'll get hooked. It is delicious by itself as a pudding too.

Start with the following ingredients for dulce de leche:

• 1 (14 ounce) can of condensed milk (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 (12 ounce) can of evaporated milk (about 1 2/3 cups)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• Generous pinch of salt (optional)
• Cinnamon sticks (optional)
• 1 tablespoon corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• Place the evaporated milk and the condensed milk in your heaviest pot. Add the cinnamon sticks, baking soda and a pinch of salt. (Salt is not traditional but helps intensify the flavor).
  Cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly. The water will begin to evaporate as steam.
  Stir steadily with a wooden spoon or heat-proof spatula so that the mixture does not stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.
  Adjust the temperature so that the mixture stays just barely at a simmer.The mixture will begin to thicken and darken in color. The foamy bubbles on the surface will disappear.

Keep stirring! This is the part the requires patience. Call a friend, listen to the radio, have a cup of coffee...
Tip: If you need to leave the mixture unattended for a few minutes, remove it from the heat until you are ready to continue.
Continue to stir until the mixture is making large bubbles, is very thick, and is a golden caramel color. It's very important to stir constantly at this point to prevent burning.
Tip: If the mixture starts to stick to the bottom and burn, you can quickly pour it into a clean pot. If there are burnt pieces visible in the mixture, strain it through a fine mesh sieve as you pour it into the new pot. Lower the heat a little and continue cooking and stirring.

Lift the spoon out of the pot and drizzle some of the caramel sauce over the surface. If it forms a ribbon that does not disappear after 10 seconds or so, it is ready.

You can also check for doneness by dragging the spoon along the bottom of the pot. You should be able to see the bottom of the pot for a few seconds before the mixture closes in on itself and covers the bottom again.
The mixture will have been simmering for 30-45 minutes.

Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
Remove cinnamon sticks and stir in the vanilla and the corn syrup.
Let cool completely.

 Mil Hojas Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Thaw the puff pastry slightly and unfold it onto a floured surface.
Working quickly, roll each sheet of the puff pastry into a thin rectangle, about 12 x 18 inches.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, and place a rolled out piece of puff pastry on each one. Cover each sheet of puff pastry with another peice of parchment paper.

1. Place another cookie sheet onto of the pastry and parchment paper. Place a few baking pans to help weigh down the baking sheets.
   
2. Place the baking sheets with the puff pastry sandwiched in between in the oven, and bake for 15 minutes.
   
3. Remove top baking sheet and weights and bake for 5 minutes more, until the puff pastry is golden brown.
   
4. Cut each sheet of the pastry into about 20 identical size squares or rectangles with a sharp knife.
   
5. Spread one square of puff pastry with a thin layer of dulce de leche. Cover with another square of puff pastry. Repeat until you have 5 layers of puff pastry. Do not spread dulce de leche on the top layer.
   
6. Sprinkle the top layer with powdered sugar and serve.