Napoleon pastry

Start with the vanilla custard. Scrape out a vanilla pod and bring it to the boil with the milk. Remove the vanilla pod.

Beat the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour until fluffy. Pour the milk over the egg mixture while stirring it.

Pour the mixture back into the pan and bring it to the boil, stirring constantly. Remove the custard from the heat after it thickens, then beat in the butter a little at a time. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and put it in the fridge.

Cherry jam
Wash and stone the cherries. Blitz the cherries in a blender or finely chop them and then mix them with the jam sugar in a saucepan and cook for 4-5 minutes. Skim off any foam and pour into a warm, sterilised jar. Put the lid on the jar and store it in a cool place.

Apple puree
Make the apple puree using the recipe. 

Sheets of puff pastry
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Divide the pastry into 3 sheets and put them on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Prick them with a fork and put a smaller baking tray on the sheets to weigh them down. Bake them on the middle shelf of the oven for about 10 minutes. Remove the tray on top and bake for another 5 minutes. Leave to cool completely.

Assembly
Whip the cream until firm. Add 200-300 ml of the vanilla custard and stir it together. Mix the icing sugar and the water to make the glaze.

Spread a layer of cherry jam on a sheet of puff pastry and drizzle the glaze on top to create a marbled effect. Put this sheet in the freezer to set.

Spread a thin layer of apple puree on the bottom sheet, followed by a layer of vanilla custard, and then put it on a plate. Spread a thick layer of vanilla custard on the last puff pastry sheet and put that sheet on top of the apple puree and vanilla custard.

Remove the sheet with the glaze from the freezer and put it on top of the entire pastry.

Tip!
Cut the Napoleon pastry into 6 pieces and rinse the knife in hot water each time to make it easier to cut.