National Dessert Day with a Classic: the Napoleon

It’s National DESSERT Day! Yay! So, I thought I would feature a classic: the Napoleon. While many people have an idea of what the dessert looks like, it seems that nearly every culture has adopted its own version, and all of them sound delicious. Here are a few facts about this perennial favorite.

The pastry’s original name is mille-feuille, pronounced “mil foy,” meaning “a thousand leaves” for the many layers of puff pastry. Traditionally, that is six folds of three layers of pastry, resulting in 729 total layers. There are modern versions, however, that call for over 2,000 layers in the end product.

In early recipes, puff pastry was layered with two layers of crème-patisserie. The top layer of pastry was sprinkled with confectioner’s sugar or cocoa powder, or, in later recipes, covered with white icing and brown icing stripes, often “combed” to create the design in the photos.  

Why is it called “Napoleon?” Ummm…no one knows for sure. The first recipe using “mille-feuille” appears in a 16th century French cookbook written by Francois Pierre de la Varenne.  Two-hundred years later, several countries began claiming the popular dessert as their own. One story describes an Italian baker naming it Napolitano for his beloved city, Naples, which, in English, later evolved to “Napoleon.” Another story notes that a Danish baker came up with the pastry and served it to Napoleon for a state visit. Some believe that the dessert actually has roots in Hungary.  

Regardless of where it began, the pastry is still popular today. Variations include layering with sliced almonds, fruits (usually strawberries and raspberries,) jams, chocolate, whipped cream, almond paste and savory ingredients like cheeses, tomatoes, pesto, spinach, and herbs. Italian versions include a layer of sponge cake. Latin American versions use dulce de leche.

If you’re inspired to celebrate National Dessert Day, here is a simple recipe with only seven ingredients from Mr.Food. For baking enthusiasts, here is a classic recipe from King Arthur Baking. The Napoleon in the photos came from Savoia Pastry Shoppe, a 93-year old family bakery.  

Enjoy, and have a great weekend!