Of course, this month's dessert recipe is a French classic, the Mille-feuille. While this dish does require a bit more effort than the average, it makes up for it in looks & taste. We like to keep it classic with the filling, using fresh strawberries & vanilla cream.
Ingredients (for 6):
Pastry
1 package of frozen puff pastry (2 sheets of pastry)
Cream
4 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cup milk
1 pack strawberries
How-to:
Cream
1. Whisk the yolks and sugar together in a microwave safe mixing bowl until well combined/pale in colour.
2. Sift in cornstarch and whisk well. Add the fresh vanilla or extract, and milk. Whisk until well combined.
3. Loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap and microwave for approx 4 minutes, stirring halfway. After remaining 2 minutes, remove plastic & stir. It should have thickened, and with stirring, turned to a smooth pudding like texture.
4. Cover again with a plastic wrap & chill for minimum 30 minutes.
Pastry
1. Remove pastry from freezer to thaw in the fridge. Separate & place each sheet on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and defrost in the refrigerator for about 4 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 200 (or as directed on your package)
3. Once puff pastry is thawed, cut each sheet into three strips.
4. Transfer pastry strips to parchment lined baking sheets.
5. Brush the top side of the pastry with egg wash & sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the pastry is puffed and golden brown. Pro tip - when you remove from oven, have parchment paper & extra baking sheets ready. Lay the parchment down on top of the pastry, then the extra pan. This flattens the pastry while it cools.
6. Once cooled, cut each pastry strip into thirds.
Assembly
1. Lay a piece of the now cooked pastry on serving dish and pipe with some of the custard filling on top. Arrange sliced strawberries and then another piece of pastry on top. Repeat x2.
2. Repeat step 1 until all 6 Mille Feuilles are complete!
For garnish, we like to add a bit of crushed pistacchio or a bit of fresh mint!
