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1
Place the lemon zest in a medium bowl and set aside.
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2
Spoon 4 tablespoons of the lemon juice into a very small bowl, sprinkle with the gelatin and set aside to thicken and almost set.
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3
Place the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, salt, and remaining lemon juice in the bowl with the lemon zest and whisk together.
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4
Pour into a saucepan, add the butter and cook over med-low heat, whisking constantly, until the custard begins to thicken.
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5
Just before boiling remove from the heat and add the now thickened lemon gelatin mixture.
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6
Pour the whole mixture through a fine mesh strainer set over a medium bowl.
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7
Cover the surface directly with plastic wrap and chill overnight until set quite firm.
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8
The next day, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
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9
Unwrap the sheets of fillo and cover with damp cloth or a piece of plastic wrap.
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10
You should work quickly to avoid the fillo drying out.
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11
Lay two pieces of parchment paper measuring about 16 by 11-inches out on large chopping board.
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12
Brush each piece of paper with a thin layer of butter and sift two tablespoons of confectioners' sugar onto each one.
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13
Lay a sheet of fillo onto each of the papers and now brush that with butter also.
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14
Continue to layer the fillo and butter on each stack to give 4 fillo layers in total, finishing with a butter layer.
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15
Finally, sift 2 tablespoons of confectioners' sugar on top of each.
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16
Lay another sheet of parchment paper measuring 16 by 11-inches on top and use this as a guide to trim the pastry edges using a sharp knife.
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17
Next, remove the top sheet of parchment and using the knife, divide each fillo stack in half down the length (to give four 5.5-inches wide and 16-inches long rectangles).
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18
Make light score marks (not cutting through) with the knife across the opposite way and at 2-inch intervals to give 8 portion marks when serving.
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19
Slide each stack onto a sheet pan, butter the top sheets of parchment paper and place them butter side down on top.
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20
Finally, place another sheet pan on top of each stack (which will ensure the pastry will cook thin and crispy).
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21
Bake for 15 minutes, until crisp and golden brown.
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22
Remove the top sheet pans and allow the pastries to cool completely.
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23
To assemble, set one long rectangle onto a large platter and spread over 1/4 of the lemon cream evenly.
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24
Continue to layer up the fillo and lemon cream ending with a fillo top, to give 4 fillo layers and 3 lemon cream layers.
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25
There should be a remaining 1/4 of lemon cream still in the bowl to make a sauce with.
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26
To do this, add a 1/4 cup of hot tap water and whisk until smooth and drizzly in consistency.
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27
Finally, prepare the blackberries.
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28
Tip them into a small bowl and lightly crush them with a fork to bring out their juices.
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29
Add 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar and toss together.
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30
Using a very sharp knife carefully cut the Napoleon into 8 portions using the score marks as a guide.
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31
Drizzle some lemon sauce on each serving plate and place a portion of Napoleon in the center of each one.
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32
Spoon the crushed blackberries around and serve at once.
