Mille-feuille

This is a classic French pastry. We always treat ourselves when we are in Paris, but when back home, every so often. we make our own.

Prepare the pastry cream and the pastry sheets the day before, or in the morning.

Add the whipped cream to the pastry cream and assemble the mille-feuille just before eating them.

Preparation time: 45 min
Cooking time: 2 times 25 min
Serves 4

Ingredients
Pastry cream:

• 3 yolks
• 25 g cornflour (2 heaped tblsp)
• 60 g sugar
• 300 ml milk
• 30 g butter
• 120 ml cream

Pastry

• 1 sheet puff pastry
• icing sugar

Method – Pastry

Preheat oven to 250° C. 

1. Sprinkle your puff pastry with icing sugar on both sides, working it in lightly with the palm of your hand as if you were flouring a board. Place your puff pastry on a sheet of baking paper placed on a baking sheet. Using a fork, prick holes over the entire sheet.
2. Cover with a second sheet of baking paper and a second baking sheet. This allows the puff pastry to rise evenly and this prevents it from inflating excessively.
3. Place the pastry, sandwiched between the two sheets, in the oven and lower the temperature to 190°. Cook for 25 minutes.
4. After 25 minutes, remove the top baking sheet and sheet of baking paper and let the puff pastry brown for another 5 minutes.
5. Then take the puff pastry out of the oven.
6. Start immediately to preheat the oven grill to low power.
7. Dust the pastry with icing sugar again (do not spread it this time).
8. When the grill is hot, put the baking sheet and puff pastry powdered with sugar under the grill and allow to  caramelize. BE CAREFUL: the caramelization can take place very quickly and it is very easy to burn the pastry. As soon as the entire surface of the pastry is caramelized or an edge begins to burn, remove the baking sheet and allow the pastry to cool before cutting.
9. Cut the sheet of pastry in thirds, and then cut each third into quarters, so you have 12 uniformly sized rectangles of pastry.
10. Place the rectangles in an airtight container until you are assembling the pastries. Separate with greaseproof paper.

Method – Pastry cream

1. In a heavy based saucepan, bring the milk (300 ml) to boil with half the sugar (30 g) and the split vanilla bean.
2. In a bowl, beat the 3 egg yolks with the remaining sugar (30 g).
3. Then add the cornstarch (2 heaped tablespoons) and beat again to obtain a homogeneous texture.
4. Pour some of the warm milk over the egg mixture and scrape the vanilla bean to loosen the seeds. Pour back into the saucepan and whisk and thicken over a medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
5. Off the heat, stir in the butter (30 g).
6. Pour into a dish and cover with cling film, to prevent a skin forming on the pastry cream.  Allow to cool, then place in the refrigerator.
7. When the pastry cream has cooled down and you are ready to start assembling the pastries, loosen the pastry cream in a bowl with a spatula.
8. Whip the cream to a firm consistency and gently add it to the pastry cream.
9. Transfer everything into an icing pocket with a smooth nozzle.

Assembly

1. Place a rectangle on the serving dish, and then pipe the pastry cream evenly over the surface. 
2. Place a second rectangle on top of the cream, and again, pipe the pastry cream over this. 
3. Place a third sheet on top (keep your best looking rectangles for going on top).
4. Keep in a cool place until ready to eat.
   
5. Enjoy!