Brotherhood: FFXV - Noctis’s Forgotten Dessert

This week’s recipe is a bit of an unexpected addition. You see, my SO asked for this to be made for his birthday, and it turned out so well I couldn’t wait to share it with you. If you have been following the hype leading up to FFXV, you may have seen some of the episodes from the anime Brotherhood: FFXV. In one of them, Ignis attempts to recreate a dessert from Noctis’s childhood. This is the version served up in the show.

Since there is little information other than screenshots from Brotherhood to go off of, know that this is merely my own interpretation of the mystery dessert. There are many other types of dessert that could fit the bill for this, but it was really fun to experiment with my own version, and I hope you like it too! For reference, the structure of the pastry I used for this recipe is called a vol-au-vent.

Prepare yourself, this post is as long as most Final Fantasy games dream to be, but it is so worth it!

~Ingredients~

Vol-au-vent

5 - 6 sheets of Puff Pastry



4 - 6 Egg Whites, split in half (save the egg whites from the cream filling recipes)



1 tbsp. Honey



Cherry Preserves, as needed



Whipped Cream, as needed (If you want to make your own: 1 cold cup heavy whipping cream + 2 tbsp. Powdered Sugar, beat until whipped, store in fridge!)

Raspberry and Chocolate Fillings

4 Egg Yolks



2 cups Whole Milk



1 1/3 cups Sugar



2 tbsp. Flour



2 tbsp. Cornstarch



¼ tsp. Salt



2 tbs. Unsalted Butter

2 oz. Semi-Sweet Baker’s Chocolate



1/3 cup Raspberry Preserves



Banana Cream Pie Filling

1 mashed Banana



6 oz. Evaporated Milk



1 tbsp. Cornstarch

¾ cup Sugar



2 Egg Yolks



½ tsp. Vanilla

Total Cook Time, including wait time: 1.5 - 2.5 hrs.

Makes: 20 - 24 depending on size

~Instructions~

Chocolate and Raspberry Fillings

Step 1.) Chop up the chocolate and set it aside along with the butter and raspberry preserves.

Step 2.) Combine the sugar, flour, and cornstarch into a saucepan and set aside.

Step 3.) Whisk the milk and egg yolks together, and combine with the sugar mixture in the saucepan.

Step 4.) Heat the mixture over medium heat while whisking continuously until the mixture thickens to a pudding consistency (this will take roughly 10 - 15 minutes or longer depending on your stove. Just be patient and don’t overheat it lest you scramble the eggs!)

Step 5.) When the cream has reached the pudding mixture, split the cream into two containers. To one, add the butter and chocolate immediately and stir until both are completely melted in. Press cling wrap down into both containers, touching the surface of the cream to keep a skin from forming and place both containers in the refrigerators to chill (you will add the raspberry preserves when you are ready to fill the pastries.)

Banana Cream Pie Filling

Step 1.) Peel and completely mash the banana. Whisk the rest of the ingredients together thoroughly.

Step 2.) Over medium heat, whisk the mixture continuously for 10 -15 min. until it thickens (it will not reach the pudding stage of the other cream, but it will noticeably thicken, and if it immediately begins to bubble if you stop stirring, it is ready.)

Step 3.) Place in a container and set in the refrigerator to cool.

Vol-au-Vent and Assembly

Step 1.) Preheat the oven to 400°. Grease multiple baking sheets and set aside.

Step 2.) Separate the egg whites in half and mix honey into one of the halves.

Step 3.) Flour a clean service and roll out the dough to about 1/8th of an inch. It should be big enough to cut out 8 4-inch-wide circles (with either a circle cookie cutter or glass) out of the dough. Place four of the circles onto the baking sheet and brush with the non-honey egg whites.

Step 4.) With the other circles, take a smaller circle cookie cutter (or glass) and create a hollow 4 inch circle. Place this hollow circle directly on top of the brushed circles. Brush with the honey egg mixture, along with the tiny circles left behind.You have the option to score the edges of the circles to promote even baking, but some may still come out lopsided. They are still delicious.

Step 5.) Bake each set of vols-au-vent for 15 - 20 min. or until the pastry is well browned. Repeat steps 3 - 5 until all pastry sheets have been baked.

Step 6.) Allow the vols-au-vent to cool completely, then use a fork to gently remove the puffed center and create a hollow for your filling.

Step 7.) Bring out your fillings, mix the raspberry into the plain cream and layer in the following order (you can transfer them to pastry bags or spoon it in): cherry preserves, chocolate, raspberry cream, banana cream. If you want a clearer separation between the layers, you will want to chill each layer before adding the next one.

Step 8.) For the top, you can either cut the small circles in half to thin them and place them on top and cover with the whipped cream, or leave them out entirely and save them for any excess filling you have! Enjoy and store them in the fridge!

~Results~

It turned out amazing!!! In keeping with Ignis’s never-ending quest to perfect the dessert, I highly encourage you to try out your own versions, or alter this recipe to how you would like it and share your results!

Chocolate Cream Filling inspired by RecipeGirl

Banana Cream Filling inspired by CakeCentral

Brotherhood Image Source