Lemon Basil and Raspberry Napoleon (with basil-infused lemon curd)

Welp, it’s time to wrap up this week’s lemon-basil shenanigans with a little cheater’s napoleon. That’s right, we’re using store-bought puff pastry and Cool Whip, people. Normally against my rules, but this little combo sounded so good – so I’m pulling the ~~lazy~~ pregger card once again.

Fun Fact: Did you know that neither the store-bought puff pastry or Cool Whip (at least the lite kind) have any real dairy in them? But we’ll be loving it in this recipe because we’ll have less dishes to do and more chemicals-laced calories to eat sooner. We’re using an herb-infused lemon curd after all, so it all balances out. I’m over it!

So, first – we will be a little bit fancy and make our own lemon curd. You can buy this at the store, but it’s super easy to make. Plus, we’re adding in a little basil that turns a traditional lemon curd into something so outstanding.

Basil-Infused Lemon Curd

Ingredients:
1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh basil
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 lemon, finely zested
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
4 Tablespoons butter

Directions:
1. In a small saucepan, mix together basil, sugar, eggs and lemon juice.

2. Slowly bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the curd becomes thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Immediately remove from heat.

3. Run the curd though a mesh sieve into a large bowl to remove the basil and any egg that may have curdled.

4. Add in butter and lemon zest to strained mixture

5. Stir until smooth, cover, and let chill in fridge for at least 2 hours.

Lemon Basil and Raspberry Napoleon

makes 6

Ingredients:
1 sheet of puff pastry
1+ cup lemon curd (start with one cup and add more for a stronger flavor)
12 ounces Cool Whip
Raspberries (about 1 pint)

Directions:
1. Thaw the puff pastry according to the package directions then cut into 9 pieces. (Cut along folded crease, then cut each section into thirds again). Place on lightly greased cookie sheet, or line with parchment paper. Use a fork to pierce the middle of each section, to prevent it from over-pillowing in the middle.

2. Bake according to package directions until golden brown (I baked mine at 400-degrees for about 15 minutes).

3. Gently fold Cool Whip into lemon curd.

4. Once the Cool Whip has been completely incorporated, transfer into a gallon-size plastic bag.

5. Gently flake each puff pastry pillow apart in the middle – so each becomes two squares (a top and a bottom).

6. Assemble each napoleon by first layering a half-sheet of the puff pastry, then layering raspberries and the lemon-curd “mousse”. Cut the tip off of the baggie to pipe onto the pastry.

I alternated the mousse and raspberries on the outside edge, then filled in the middle with more mousse. Layer so that there are three sheets of pastry, and two filling layers.