Napoleon Torte

Posted by request. Times do not include chill times and are estimates. Sounds good, albeit labor-intensive. Adapted from two Napoleon Torte recipes from recipegoldmine.com and cdkitchen.com, so it is somewhere between the Lithuanian and Ukranian version of this torte.

• Ready In: 2 hrs
• Serves: 20
• Yields: 1 torte

Ingredients

• Dough Phyllo may be substituted

• 1  cup unsalted butter
• 4  cups flour
• 1  cup sour cream
• 2  tablespoons cold water

• Filling 1

• 3⁄4 cup sugar
• 5  tablespoons flour
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 2  cups milk, scalded
• 4  egg yolks, beaten
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract
•  chopped  fresh fruit (optional) or  berries (optional)
•  melted chocolate (optional)
•  jam (optional) or   jelly (optional) or   chopped  nuts, may be added if desired (optional)

• Filling 2

• 2 (14 ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
• 6  egg yolks, beaten
• 2  teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1  cup butter, softened
•  chopped  fresh fruit (optional) or  berries (optional)
•  melted chocolate (optional)
•  jam (optional) or   jelly (optional) or   chopped  nuts, may be added if desired (optional)

Directions

1. Dough: Cut butter into flour then blend in the sour cream and water.
2. Form 8-12 balls, then flatten into discs, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
3. The next day, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let sit 15 minutes or until dough is pliable enough to be rolled out.
4. Roll each disc into a paper-thin circle on a lightly-floured surface, then prick all over with a fork and bake at 375F for 7-10 minutes or until golden brown.
5. A pizza pan or a stone makes a good surface for cooking your layers.
6. Each layer must be cooked individually.
7. If your dough gets too soft while you are rolling and baking, put it back in the refrigerator until it is hard enough again.
8. Filling#1: Mix sugar, flour and salt in top of double boiler.
9. Gradually add hot milk, stirring constantly.
10. Keep on heat, stirring until mixture thickens.
11. Spoon a small amount of milk mixture gradually (~1/4c) into your egg yolks, mix thoroughly.
12. This will prevent your eggs from cooking by gradually raising their temperature.
13. After you have spooned the milk mixture into the eggs, pour the eggs into the milk mixture.
14. Cook for 2 minutes.
15. Cool, then add vanilla and extras if desired.
16. Filling#2: Add both cans of milk to top of double boiler and cook, stirring frequently, until thickened (~30min).
17. Add egg yolks slowly in a thin stream, stirring constantly.
18. Add vanilla.
19. Cook and stir for 10 minutes.
20. Chill in refrigerator.
21. Beat butter until fluffy, then slowly beat in chilled milk mixture.
22. Add extras if desired.
23. Assembly: Place one layer of pastry on a platter and spread with filling.
24. Continue stacking, alternating fillings, until 1 layer of pastry remains.
25. Frost top and sides of torte with your remaining filling.
26. Crumble the last pastry layer and sprinkle over torte.
27. Refrigerate for several hours.