Millefeuille
Millefeuille is one of the best pastries available, if it is well made, i.e.: 2 layers of light vanilla cream between 3 layers of fine crispy (possibly caramelized) puff pastry.
247,1234.8/5 for 27 ratings
Last modified on: October 13th 2010
For 5 people, you will need:
- 1
300 g Confectioner's custard (Crème pâtissière, or French pastry cream) - 2
150 g Chantilly cream - 3
300 g Puff or flaky pastry (pâte feuilletée) - 4
4 tablespoons icing sugar - 5
a little chocolate (optional) - Total weight: 810 grams
How long does it take?
Time required for this recipe:
Keeping: Several hours in the fridge, covered by a plastic film.
| Preparation | Resting | Cooking | Start to finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 57 min. | 15 min. | 30 min. | 1 hour 42 min. |
At what time?
- When will I finish if I start the recipe at a certain time?
When should I start for the recipe to be ready at a certain time?
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 20 min.
The day before, or several hours before, make crème pâtissière (confectioner's custard).
Roll out puff pastry as thinly as possible. Then put on a baking sheet in the fridge for about one hour, so that if it needs to shrink, it happens in the fridge instead of the oven.
It is very difficult to make a regular rectangle (see photo) but don't worry about that.
Preheat oven to 410°F (210°C).
Roll out puff pastry as thinly as possible. Then put on a baking sheet in the fridge for about one hour, so that if it needs to shrink, it happens in the fridge instead of the oven.
It is very difficult to make a regular rectangle (see photo) but don't worry about that.
Preheat oven to 410°F (210°C).
Stage 2 - 30 min.
Put a sheet of cooking parchment onto pastry and place a cooling rack on top. We do that to stop puff pastry swelling too much during cooking, essential for millefeuilles.
Put in the oven for about 30 minutes, but remove paper and rack after 20 minutes to allow pastry to brown.
Put in the oven for about 30 minutes, but remove paper and rack after 20 minutes to allow pastry to brown.
Stage 3 - 15 min.
When pastry is cooked, remove from the oven, allow to cool a little and put on a rack to finish cooling.
Stage 4 - 5 min.
With a bread knife or steak knife, trim the edges of puff pastry to get a regular rectangle (you can use a ruler to help with this).
Stage 5 - 3 min.
Cut the rectangle into three. (use the first piece as a template to cut the others to the same size)
Look at the three parts to determinate the best looking, that means flat, regular and brown. This will be the top of your millefeuille.
Look at the three parts to determinate the best looking, that means flat, regular and brown. This will be the top of your millefeuille.
Stage 6 - 1 min.
Make 150 g Chantilly cream and fold it gently into crème pâtissière, with a maryse by turning with the bowl tipped at an angle.
Stage 7
You will get a delicious vanilla cream, light and perfumed.
Stage 8 - 3 min.
On the serving plate (quite impossible to move a millefeuille when finished without catastrophe), put the least pretty piece of pastry.
Stage 9 - 5 min.
With a forcing bag full of cream, pipe small balls or rosettes of cream...
Stage 10
... over the whole surface.
Stage 11 - 2 min.
Then gently add the second piece of puff pastry.
Stage 12 - 5 min.
Cover with more piped balls of cream.
Stage 13 - 10 min.
Mix 1 tablespoon water with 4 tablespoons icing sugar to make a glacé icing, and spread over top of last (and best) piece of puff pastry.
You can also add trails of melted chocolate, but it's not easy to do well.
If you want to be sure of quick success, just sprinkle top with icing sugar.
You can also add trails of melted chocolate, but it's not easy to do well.
If you want to be sure of quick success, just sprinkle top with icing sugar.
Stage 14 - 3 min.
And finally, place the last puff pastry piece on top.
Your millefeuille is ready to serve.
Your millefeuille is ready to serve.
Remarks
Millefeuilles can be made in an infinite variety of shapes and flavours, but keeping to this basic principle: 2 layers of something soft between 3 layers of something crispy. Just by keeping puff pastry and replacing vanilla cream with a layer of raspberries or strawberries and a lime cream, it's extraordinary.
Be careful!: You can put your millefeuille in the fridge to wait, but not too long: 4-5 hours maximum, never more, never overnight! Because eventually the cream will soak into the pastry, and you will get that horrible limp thing that bad bakers try to pass off as millefeuille.
Be careful!: You can put your millefeuille in the fridge to wait, but not too long: 4-5 hours maximum, never more, never overnight! Because eventually the cream will soak into the pastry, and you will get that horrible limp thing that bad bakers try to pass off as millefeuille.
Nutritional information
How much will it cost?
- For 5 people : 3.47 €
- Per person : 0.69 €
Source
Home made.More recipes?
This recipe uses (among others) | Confectioner's custard (Crème pâtissière, or French pastry cream): You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Fraisier (French strawberry cake), Paris-Brest, St Tropez tart, Pear and lime meringue pie, Strawberry Verveine Tart , ... All |
 | Puff or flaky pastry (pâte feuilletée): You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Mini palmiers, Chicken and mushroom pie, Mirlitons, Express apple tart, How to cook caramelized puff pastry well, ... All |
 | Chantilly cream: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Key Lime Pie for Jeremy, Mini Mont-Blanc choux puffs, Cranachan, St Tropez tart, Chouquettes, ... All |
| Icing sugar: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Cigarettes Russes (Piroulines), Pink Reims biscuits, Nanou's chocolate cake, Financiers, Armagnac marzipan, ... All |
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2019-09-22)
Note: We'll never share your email with anyone else.
Follow this recipe (as 4 people already do)
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.Note: We'll never share your email with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.
Post your comment or question
You are welcome, if you wish, to comment on this recipe: why you like it or not, what you have changed, what results it gave, point out a mistake or omission, etc. You can also ask a question. I answer all questions (in a broken English, sorry) unless someone else does it before me.
Please feel free to say what you think, I'm always very interested in your opinion. Your comment will appear on line with the recipe, so please write in standard readable English, not SIM or only in CAPITALS, otherwise your comment may be rejected.
Please look at advice for submitting a comment or image (what you should or should not do). By the way, don't type your e-mail address in the comment, otherwise you might be spammed.