STRAWBERRY NAPOLEONS

Use high-quality store-bought puff pastry, or make your own (for a recipe, go to martha stewart.com/puffpastry). If the berries are too tart, add a tablespoon or two more sugar to the cream mixture. Active Time: 40 minutes Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes Makes: 8

1⁄2 cup granulated sugar,

for sprinkling 14 ounces all-butter puff pastry, such as Dufour, thawed Vegetable-oil cooking

spray

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup crème fraîche 1 vanilla bean, seeds

scraped

⅓ cup powdered sugar 1 pound strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced (about 3 cups)

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Sprinkle work surface with some of granulated sugar. Unfold dough on top and sprinkle with more granulated sugar. If necessary, roll out to a 9 ½-by-12 ½-inch rectangle, slightly more than 1⁄8 inch thick.

Using a sharp knife or pastry cutter, cut into a 9-by-12-inch rectangle. Transfertoabaking sheet; freeze 20 minutes. Cut into twelve 4-by-2 ¼inch rectangles. Transfer to two baking sheets and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

2. Prick rectangles all over with a fork. Coat two wire racks with cooking spray and place one over each set of rectangles (if you only have one cooling rack, work in batches).

Bake until pastry just reaches tops of racks, about 15 minutes (do not let it bake into racks and stick).

Remove racks; continue to bake until golden and evenly browned, about 15 minutes more. Let cool completely on racks, about 30 minutes.

3. With a mixer, whiskcream,crème fraîche, vanilla seeds and powdered sugar on medium speed until stiff peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes. Fit a pastry bag with a large star tip (such as Ateco No. 825). Split pastry rectangles horizontally (to create 24 pieces total).

Choose 8 nice tops; set aside. Arrange a single layer of strawberries over 8 bottom rectangles. Pipe about 2 tablespoons cream over berries. Top with a second layer of berries. Pipe 2 tablespoons cream onto 8 more rectangles. Topwithalayerof strawberries.

Pipe a dollop of cream onto bottom and place on top of first layer, pressing very gently to help stick. Pipe a dollop of cream on bottom of reserved rectangles and place on top, sugared-sides up. Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to overnight.