Mille Feuille

Mille Feuille, in French its means thousand leaves. A dessert I wanted to make for a long time.

 

 

I have created a simple version so there's not a lot of work into it and it can be eaten straight away, not like my other desserts where I have to wait over night.

This dessert isn't heavy and a fantastic treat after a meal.
If you want a even lighter version use creme fraiche instead of cream.

 

 

This recipe makes 7 Mille Feuille and I worked it out to around 90p for each portion.
All round, a quick and inexpensive dessert to make and most importantly tastes and looks great.

Here's my version and I hope you like it.

Ingredients:

One packet of ready rolled puff pastry
300ml of whipping cream
1. Tbsp icing sugar
Box of fresh strawberries or other fruits you like
Icing sugar for dusting.

So, that's all the ingredients. Lets make some.

 

Method:

 

Roll out the puff pastry on your Worktop. 

 

Cut out puff pastry to 8 x 5cm. And lay them on a flat baking tray with baking paper over it.

 

Prick holes with a fork lightly on the surface, don't prick it all the way through. This would help release the steam during baking and making it rise evenly. Only prick the centre and not the sides. 

 

 

Brush with egg wash.

 

 

Bake in a preheated  oven at 220c, after 5 minutes it would puff up like the picture above, this is when you use a flat utensil to flatten it down by pressing firmly to stop it rising.
Then leave to bake for another 5 minutes and again flatten it down and bake for another 2 minutes.
You want to get the pastry as flat as possible but still flaky.

Another method you can use is to place a heavy baking tin with baking paper over the pastry after the first 5 minutes once it has puffed up. This would make the pastry nice and flat. Then bake a further 5 minutes and take off the baking tin and baking paper to bake until golden brown.
I didn't have a baking tin that would fit over it so I flattened it down twice during baking.

 

Leave the puff pastry to cool on a wire rack, you can dust lightly with icing sugar if you like it sweeter. I think this dessert have to be nice and sweet. 

 

Whip the cream and add 1. Tbsp of icing to it. Don't over whip the cream, you want it at soft peak so the texture is like thick custard but still holds its shape. 

 

Fill a piping bag with a large round nozzle and prepare some fruits. 

Pipe cream in a swirly line and lay sliced strawberries across.

Pipe a little more cream on top of the strawberries so the next layer of pastry will stick together.

 

Press gently but firmly to sandwich the fillings. 

Pipe more cream on the second layer and lay strawberries across it, repeat the same as above.  

 

 

Add the last layer on top and press carefully so the cream sticks to the pastry and dust lightly with icing sugar.

 

Time to tuck in..... yum yum....