French · Dessert
Mille-feuille
Caramelised puff pressed flat between trays, layered with diplomat cream and assembled on its side — modern architecture, ancient pleasure
- Prep
- 60 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- All-butter puff pastry — 500 g
- Icing sugar — 60 g
- Diplomat cream: whole milk 400 ml, vanilla pods 1.5, egg yolks 5 (100 g), caster sugar 80 g, cornflour 35 g, butter 25 g, gold gelatine 1 leaf (2 g), double cream (whipped) 150 ml
- Fine salt — 1 g
Method
- Roll puff to 2.5 mm into a 30 × 40 cm sheet; dock thoroughly; chill 30 min.
- Bake between two flat trays (parchment above and below) at 180 °C for 30 min.
- Uncover; dust heavily with icing sugar; return at 210 °C for 6–8 min until glassy caramel. Cool flat under a light tray.
- Pâtissière: whisk yolks, sugar, cornflour, salt; add vanilla-infused hot milk; boil 2 min whisking; add butter and bloomed gelatine. Chill filmed.
- Beat the pâtissière smooth; fold in whipped cream — diplomat.
- Trim the sheet with a serrated knife into eighteen 11 × 3.5 cm rectangles.
- Pipe diplomat bulbs on 12 rectangles; stack two creamed layers, cap with a bare one.
- Lay each mille-feuille on its side (cream visible); chill 30 min; dust the top edge.