Napoleones: Only in Bacolod City

Many people would associate Bacolod City with piaya and chicken inasal. However, this sugar capital has more to offer to satisfy ones sweet tooth. Pastry shops in Bacolod City has some of the most sought after recipes that can only be found in this part of the country. One such recipe is the napoleones which has long been the favorite of visitors and locals alike.

Napoleones is a layered puff pastry filled with custard cream and glazed with white sugar on top. It comes with small square size and a larger rectangle size and usually sold in boxes. Biting into napoleones gives you a crunchy sensation from the layered puff then a soft, creamy and sweet taste from the custard cream filling and sugar glaze. Those who had a taste of napoleones could attest to its mouth watering taste, with just the right creaminess and sweetness.

Food blogger Kai noted that napoleones possibly was adapted from the napoleon, which is how the French pastry mille-fuille (a thousand leaves) is called outside of France, which in turn is claimed to have originated from Naples in Italy, thus the name.

If the origin of napoleons is indeed the French pastry, then it’s probably introduced by one of the Gaston clans who originated from France and settled in Negros Occidental. This is just my theory and may entirely be untrue. Nobody has came out and claimed to have formulated the recipe of napoleones so I think we are free to speculate.

When talking about napoleons, two pastry shops in Bacolod come to mind, Roli’s and Virgie’s. Though Roli’s is the more well-known for napoleons, Virgie’s is easily gaining popularity.

Manila-based buyers no longer have to wait for friends and relative from Bacolod to give them pasalubong in order for them to have a taste of napoleones. Both Roli’s and Virgie’s has napoleones available in Metro Manila.

Tips: If you’re in Bacolod City, do buy at the main outlets because the price is lower. Buy Virgie’s at their showroom at San Sebastian Street. Roli’s Bakeshop at Roli’s Arcade has a much cheaper price than in other outlets.

Virgie’s Homemade Products
#59 San Sebastian Street, Bacolod City
Tel. Nos. (034) 434-1788, 434-1588
Fax No. (034) 434-6188

Other Outlets in the Visayas
• Edemar Store- Iloilo City
• Gaisano Metro – Cebu CityAbaseria Café – Cebu City
• Sally Young – Cebu City
• Other Major Supermarkets and Upscale Restaurants & Cafes

In Metro Manila & Luzon
• Michelle’s Homemade Putong Ube
• Shopwise & Rustans Supermarket
• Pinoy Eats Pioneer Supermarket
• Orientways Marketing
• Rowena’s Pasalubong (Tagaytay).

Roli’s Bakeshop
Roli’s Arcade, La Salle Avenue, Bacolod City
Tel. Nos.: (034) 433-3257, 709-3162, 709-2772

Other Outlets
• Lopues East Centre, Bacolod City
• Lopues Mandalagan, Bacolod City
• Plaza Mart, Bacolod City
• Building A SM Megamall
• The Block, SM North Edsa

Of course, the recipe of the napoleones is a trade secret but if it’s really related to the mille-fuille, then this recipe I sourced out online may more or less be similar.

Mille-Fuille (Napoleon Pastry) Recipe

Ingredients
• 1 package frozen puff pastry

Pastry Cream
• 3 cups milk
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 3 1/2 tablespoons cornfloure (corn starch)
• 2 tablespoons butter

Whipped Cream
• 2 cups whipping cream
• 1/4 cup icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons icing sugar

Directions

1. For the pastry cream: Put 2 1/2 cups milk, sugar, vanilla and almond extracts in a small boil to come to the boil.
2. Dissolve the corn flour in the remaining milk and pour into hot milk.
3. Whisk the corn flour into the milk and turn off heat.
4. Beat the egg yolks in a medium-sized bowl and slowly whisk in some of the hot milk into the yolks, whisking all the while.
5. Do this until you have incorporated nearly all the milk into the yolks, whisking constantly, to temper the yolks.
6. Add any leftover milk mixture and place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard.
7. Refrigerate and cool completely.
8. For whipped cream: Place all ingredients in mixer bowl and whip until snowy peaks form.
9. Remove 1/3 of whipped cream and fold into pastry cream.
10. For pastry: Preheat oven to 425F.
11. Take 1 sheet of puff pastry and lay out flat, with long side facing you.
12. Cut in 1/2 lengthwise.
13. Repeat with other sheet of puff pastry, so you have 4 equal pieces.
14. Butter a cookie sheet or baking pan large enough to contain the puff pastry pieces and place the pastry on the cookie sheet.
15. Pierce the pastry all over with a fork.
16. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, then reduce temperature to 300F and bake a further 35-40 minutes (pastry should be baked through and a deep golden-brown).
17. To assemble: Place 1 sheet of pastry on a platter, spread with half of pastry cream, ensuring you don’t spread all the way out to the edges of the pastry.
18. Place another sheet of pastry over and spread with remainder of pastry cream.
19. Place third sheet of pastry over and spread top and sides of assembled pastry with whipped cream.
20. Crumble up the fourth pastry sheet with your hands and sprinkle broken pieces of pastry on top of whipped cream and press some onto sides.
21. Place in refrigerator for 1/2 hour to set.
22. Just before serving, place 2 tblsps of icing sugar into a sieve and sieve directly over cake.
23. Serve immediately.

Note: This is a dessert that is quick to make and assemble but has to be eaten close to making, otherwise the puff pastry absorbs moisture and becomes soggy.

A very nice variation is to thinly spread the first and second puff pastry sheet (the ones that you spread with the custard) with a thin scraping of seedless raspberry jam before you spread with custard.