Mille-feuille

Classic French Mille-Feuille (Napoleon)

A crisp stack of caramelised puff pastry layered with vanilla crème pâtissière and finished with feathered fondant icing. The hallmark of a true mille-feuille is the audible crack when you cut through it.

Prep

60 min

Cook

35 min

Total

95 min

Serves

6

Difficulty

Hard

Recipe ingredients

• •500 g (1 lb 2 oz) all-butter puff pastry, store-bought is fine; homemade if ambitious
• •250 ml (1 cup) whole milk
• •1 whole vanilla pod, or 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
• •3 large egg yolks
• •60 g (¼ cup) caster sugar
• •25 g (3 tbsp) cornflour (cornstarch)
• •15 g (1 tbsp) unsalted butter, for the crème pâtissière
• •200 g (7 oz) fondant icing, ready-to-use white fondant; water to loosen
• •30 g (2 tbsp) dark chocolate (70%), melted, for feathering
• •50 g (¼ cup) caster sugar, for caramelising the top pastry
• •20 g (1½ tbsp) unsalted butter, melted, for brushing

Steps

1. 1 Roll the puff pastry into a 30 x 25 cm (12 x 10 in) rectangle about 3 mm thick. Dock it all over with a fork, slide onto a parchment-lined tray, and chill for 30 minutes.
2. 2 Bake the pastry at 200°C / 400°F (fan 180°C) for 18–22 minutes, until deeply golden, puffed and crisp. Do not underbake; the layers must be bone-dry or they will go soft on assembly. Transfer to a rack and cool completely.
3. 3 Make the crème pâtissière: split the vanilla pod, scrape the seeds, and steep both seeds and pod in the milk over medium heat until just below boiling, then remove from the heat.
4. 4 Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour in a bowl until pale. Pour the hot milk over in a slow stream, whisking constantly, then return the whole mixture to the pan.
5. 5 Cook over medium heat, whisking continuously, until the cream thickens and bubbles for 1 full minute. Off the heat, whisk in the butter. Press cling film directly onto the surface and chill until cold, at least 2 hours.
6. 6 Whisk the chilled crème pâtissière briefly to loosen it; it should hold soft peaks. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 1 cm (½ in) plain nozzle.
7. 7 Slice the cooled pastry into three equal strips (each 30 x 8 cm / 12 x 3 in). Brush the top strip with melted butter and sprinkle evenly with the 50 g caster sugar.
8. 8 Caramelise the sugar: place under a hot grill (broiler) 10 cm / 4 in from the element for 2–4 minutes, watching constantly, until the sugar melts and turns deep amber. The caramel must reach hard-crack stage and set glassy; the top must read crisp to the tap of a knife. Cool fully so the caramel hardens.
9. 9 Place one plain pastry strip on a board. Pipe a thick, even line of crème pâtissière along it, then sandwich with the second plain strip and repeat. Finish with the caramelised strip on top, caramel side up.
10. 10 Loosen the fondant with 1–2 teaspoons of warm water until it flows like thick honey (about 35°C / 95°F). Pour immediately over the caramelised top, tilting to spread to the edges before it sets.
11. 11 Pipe thin parallel lines of melted dark chocolate across the fondant, then drag a toothpick perpendicular to the lines to feather a chevron pattern. Let the chocolate set, 5–10 minutes.
12. 12 To serve: chill the assembled mille-feuille for 20 minutes to firm the cream, then cut with a sharp serrated knife using a single decisive downward stroke (do not saw) into 6 portions. The crack should be audible. Serve the same day.