There millefeuille cakesimply said “a thousand leaves” in Italy and “Napoleon” in the rest of the world, it is a delicate dessert composed of layers of puff pastry alternated with firm and full-bodied custard. The millefeuille is one of the favorite cakes for birthdays, graduation parties, special occasions, precisely because it is so delicious and because it remains excellent for several hours. We offer you an easy millefeuille recipe which involves the use of ready-made rectangular puff pastry, simply to be pricked, brushed with egg yolk, sprinkled with brown sugar and bake for 12-15 minutes. It should then be filled with custard, whose recipe with advice and suggestions can be found here and decorated as desired with berries or chocolate flakes.

Preparation

1

Work 6 egg yolks with the sugar in a bowl, mixing them with a hand whisk.

2

Add the cornstarch (or cornstarch) a little at a time, stirring constantly until the mixture is well blended.

3

Heat the milk in a saucepan, adding the vanilla too. As soon as the milk reaches the boil, add the egg mixture, pouring it slowly. Stir continuously with the whisk for about 5-6 minutes, until the mixture is creamy, smooth and shiny.

4

When the cream is ready, pour it into a bowl. Cover it with a sheet of kitchen film, keeping it in contact with the cream: in this way the surface will avoid hardening. Let it rest at room temperature, then place it in the refrigerator.

5

Prepare the millefeuille bases: unroll the rectangular puff pastry gently, so as not to cut or break it.

6

Leave the puff pastry on its parchment paper and cut it delicately into 3 equal parts, obtaining 3 rectangles. On two of them, prick holes with the prongs of a fork. On the third rectangle, make three oblique cuts, parallel to each other.

7

Brush the sheets with the remaining beaten egg yolk, using a pastry brush.

8

Place them on a baking sheet and sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake them at 170° in static mode.

9

Bake the puff pastry bases for about 12-15 minutes, until they are golden brown.

10

Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely before composing the dessert.

11

When everything is cold, put the custard in a sac-à-few or in a syringe with a round serrated nozzle.

12

Place the first layer of puff pastry with holes directly on the serving plate and make a layer of tufts of cream.

13

Lay the second layer of puff pastry so as not to crush the cream. Stuffed then with other cream in the same way.

14

Add the last layer of pastry, the one with the oblique cuts, and sprinkle with icing sugar.

15

Place in the fridge 30 minutes before serving. Decorate with berries of your choice such as raspberries, strawberries and mint leaves.

Advice and tips

To avoid breaking the dough while rolling it out, we suggest you take it out of the refrigerator at least 10 minutes before.

Place the sheets in the lower part of the oven and check often the cooking because they tend to blacken.

You can vary the filling of the millefeuille by adding, for example, drops of dark or milk chocolate, or by making a diplomatic cream. You can also add fresh fruit (not frozen), taking care of dry it well before adding it with cream.

You can also use other creams, such as orange or vanilla, or another cream to your liking. The important is that they are firm, so as not to crush under the weight of the layers of yarrow; therefore consider adding a few grams of cornstarch to the cream.

It’s important prick the dough before cooking so as not to swell the dough during cooking in the oven.

You can prepare the cream the day before and assemble everything the next day.

storage

It is advisable to consume the mille-feuille on the day of preparation to preserve its crunchiness. You can still keep it in the fridge for 2 days maximum, covered with transparent film or inside an airtight container. It is not recommended to freeze it.

History

Mille-feuille was invented in France by Francois Pierre de La Varenne in 1651, who reported it in his book Cuisinierfrancois. However, the original recipe was different, while the one still used today is the work of refinements by Marie-Antoine Careme at the beginning of the 19th century, dedicating it to the French leader Napoleon. The dessert was then known in Europe and Russia as Napoleonwhile in Italy it is called millefeuille due to its particular stratification.