Sunday 1 July 2012

Happy 145th Birthday Canada!

I love celebrating Canada Day because it's something all Canadians can take pride in and we can all celebrate the day together. 

Clearly there are the fireworks and that's a big part of the excitement for me, but I also love to celebrate Canada Day by creating special themed foods for the holiday. The theme I choose is mostly just red and white creations, but I always try to sneak in a little surprise somewhere too. 

This year's Canada Day recipe is no exception to my rule. It's red and white all over and it definitely has a little surprise hidden inside. 

Anxious for a bite? Keep reading to find out how I made this deceptively easy treat!

Canada Day Strawberry and Lemon Mille-Feuille

1 sheet of puff pastry
1/2 cup of lemon curd, purchased or homemade (this recipe for lemon curd makes just enough)
2 cups of strawberries, sliced (reserve 1/3 of the prettiest strawberry slices of the top)
2 tablespoons strawberry jam
1 1/2 cups whipped cream

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

2. Roll out puff pastry and cut into three rectangles, about 15cm x 30 cm. Place rectangles on a cookie sheet and prink with a fork so that the pastry doesn't puff up. Alternatively, you could cover your pastry with a second cookie sheet. Bake about 15-20 minutes or until pastry is well browned. 

Tip: You want your pastry to be well browned because, if not, when it soaks up lemon curd and whipped cream, it will go very soggy. 

3. Remove the pastry from the oven and cool. Pile the rectangles on top of each other and trim the edges with a sharp knife so they are exactly the same size. Reserve the trimmed bits. 

4. Place one piece of cooled pastry on your serving plate and cover with half of the lemon curd. Top with slices of strawberry. Place a second piece of pastry on next and top with the remaining half of the lemon curd and more more slices of strawberries. 

5. Place the third piece of pastry on next and top with jam, followed by the remaining strawberries. 

6. Spread whipped cream around the edges of the dessert and press the trimmed bits of pastry into the whipped cream for extra texture. 

7. Place in the fridge for about an hour, slice, and serve. 

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