Apple Napoleons with Dulce de Leche

This past week's Top Chef challenge was to come up with "New American" cuisine to be served at Tom Colicchio's Craft restaurant in NYC. There seemed to be some confusion as to just what New American may mean, but my personal feeling is that New American is more fusion than anything else.

America has become such a melting pot (wasn't it always, though?) and expressing that through food really shouldn't be so complicated. I admit to patting myself on the back when Rhadika's dessert wontons were well-received, because I had just done similar a few weeks ago at Family.com, sans the mousse. While Carla's apple dessert was obviously well-liked, I can't help but think I'd have done it differently.

What would I have done? Well, I think the French Napoleon crossed with the classic American apple pie and a Mexican dulce de leche would be about perfect - and I have to say, they were!

Apple Napoleons with Dulce de Leche
Makes 6 pastries
Printable Recipe

2 sheets puff pastry cut into 3 inch squares - 18 total
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 large apples peeled, cored and sliced thinly
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup dulce de leche
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Bake pastry squares according to package directions until golden brown. Set aside.
Melt butter in a skillet and add apples, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cook until apples are soft and lightly caramelized - about 10 minutes. Heat dulce de leche and keep warm. Add powdered sugar to cream and beat until stiff peaks form.

Lay out 6 pastry squares and top each with whipped cream, apples and dulce de leche. Repeat a second layer for each. Top each with a pastry square, whipped cream and a sprinkling of cinnamon.

Pastel de Cuatro Leches

This sweet wonder made it into Saveur's tenth annual 100 issue and one taste will tell you just why. This dense triple-milk (condensed, evaporated, heavy cream) soaked cake is perfection. Saveur offers up a delicious version of dulce de leche sold by Zingerman's (LOVE Zingerman's!), but I made my own at home with a can of sweetened condensed milk.

There are several ways to go about it:

Put two holes in the top of the can and set in an ovenproof pan with water poured in to halfway up the side of the can. Place this in the oven at 250 degrees F for about 4 hours until it's dark and thick.

Cut the whole top off of the can and cover loosely with foil and proceed as above.

Pour into a pie plate, cover with foil and put in a water bath as above.

Pour into a heavy saucepan and put over low heat. Stir very often until the right color and consistency (dark caramel color and spreadable consistency). This still takes 45 minutes to an hour and needs constant attention.

Or buy it. See above.