Napoleon

ingredients 

• 2 sheets butter puff pastry, halved
•  100g dark chocolate
•  1/2 cup (125ml) thick cream, whipped
•  20g white chocolate, melted, cooled

Creme patisserie

•  6 egg yolks
•  40g plain flour, sifted
•  125g caster sugar
•  2 cups (500ml) milk
•  1 vanilla bean, split

Method

1. Step 1
   Refreeze 1 pastry half, as it's not required. Place the 3 remaining halves on a lined baking tray, prick all over with a fork then refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Step 2
   To make creme, place egg yolks, flour and 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a bowl and whisk until pale. Combine milk, remaining sugar and split vanilla bean in a saucepan and bring to the boil over medium heat. Strain into egg mixture and discard vanilla bean. Return to pan and cook over low heat, stirring for 2-3 minutes or until thickened, then cool.
3. Step 3
   Preheat oven to 190°C. Bake pastry for 10 minutes, then place a sheet of baking paper and a baking tray on top of pastry and return to oven for 10 minutes. Remove paper and tray and cook for a further 5 minutes, then allow to cool.
4. Step 4
   Place dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (don't let the bowl touch the water). Once the chocolate has melted, stir until smooth. Cool completely.
5. Step 5
   Spread chocolate over one pastry half. Combine whipped cream and creme patisserie. Place an unglazed pastry half on a serving tray and spread with half the cream. Top with other piece of unglazed pastry and remaining filling. Top with glazed pastry. Place white chocolate in a piping bag and pipe thin lines across the top. Use a skewer to drag the lines. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.