Just the spelling of the word “millefeuille”, is reason enough NOT to make it. It looks complex, time consuming and an impossibility. Only it is none of the above. The one-and-only Nigella once said, there are a few things she never makes, and uses store-bought. One of these things is puff-pastry. Ready-rolled is a piece of cake to cook and tastes great. Use all-butter puff pastry if you can find it.
There are two ways to cook the puff pastry sheets. The first is, by sandwiching them between two baking sheets in order to keep them completely flat. The second is by laying them flat on a baking sheet and pricking the entire surface with a fork. This results into a puffier pastry. I believe, that the best way for a top marks millefeuille, is to bake one sheet flat and the other puffier. Use the flat for the bottom and centre and the puffier for the top layer. Having said that, I sometimes can’t be bothered!
Then it’s the cream. A millefeuille is actually all about the cream. And THIS cream, will blow your mind. The raspberries add a nice, fruity tang to this sweet and I love it. However this millefeuille is amazing even without them.
Millefeuille with raspberries
Ingredients
- 1 pack of puff pastry, two sheets
- 2-3 Tbsp granulated sugar
For pastry cream
- 4 grams 1 heaping tsp gelatine
- 1 Tbsp water
- 500 grams milk, whole
- 140 grams granulated sugar
- 5 egg yolks, (100 grams)
- 30 grams corn flour
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 60 grams butter, unsalted
- 150 grams whipping cream
For the topping
- 250 ml of cream
- ½ cup icing sugar + extra for sprinkling
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 100 grams fresh raspberries
Instructions
- To bake the puff pastry: Preheat the oven to 170˚ C, fan. Place each puff pastry sheet on a baking tray lined with non-stick paper. Sprinkle with granulated sugar. Prick the entire surface of the dough with a fork. Place in the oven for 45-50 minutes until the puff pastry is golden brown. Let them cool on a wire rack. (see note 1)
- You can bake the puff pastry sheets a day before assembling the dessert.
- To make the pastry cream: Put the gelatine in a small bowl and pour the water over it. Let it soak and bloom.
- Heat the milk and sugar. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and corn flour. Pour over the hot milk and mix well. Return the mixture back to the saucepan, passing it through a sieve. Stir over medium heat until the mixture begins to thicken and bubble. While it is bubbling, add the soaked gelatine and whisk for another two minutes. Remove from the heat and add the butter and vanilla. Transfer to a bowl and cover the surface with plastic wrap. Allow the cream to cool completely and transfer to the refrigerator.
- To finish the pastry cream: Whisk the whipping cream with a mixer until stiff. Whip the cold pastry cream until fluffy (you need to do this with a mixer). Add the whipped cream to the pastry cream and fold with a spatula to combine.
- For the topping: Whip the cream with the icing sugar and vanilla until you have a fluffy whipped cream. Chill until needed.
- To assemble the dessert: Cut each puff pastry sheet into two square or rectangular pieces. Place the cream in a pastry bag with a piping bag. Spread some on the base of the platter where you will serve the dessert. Place a piece of the puff pastry on top. With the help of the cornet, top it with pastry cream. Repeat the process with a second piece of puff pastry and pastry cream. Cover with another piece of puff pastry.
- Spread on top, the whipped cream, with a piping bag or a spatula. Scatter the raspberries. Crumble the remaining piece of puff pastry and scatter over the raspberries (you won’t use all of the puff pastry). Sprinkle with powdered sugar and transfer to the refrigerator 2 hours before serving.
