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.
327 K 4.8/5 (33 reviews)
1 hour 45 min.
Average
5 people
5 IngredientsLast modified on: October 13th 2010
For 5 people, you will need:
- 1
1 1⁄3 cup Confectioner's custard (Crème pâtissière, or French pastry cream) - 2
2⁄3 cup Chantilly cream - 3
1 1⁄3 cup Puff or flaky pastry (pâte feuilletée) - 4
4 tablespoons icing sugar - 5
a little dark chocolate (optional)
Change measures:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 60 min.
Resting: 15 min.
Cooking: 30 min.
All in all: 1 hour 45 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end 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 2⁄3 cup 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.
Keeping: Several hours in the fridge, covered by a plastic film.
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 300 RDI=110 % | 1,650 RDI=160 % | 1,310 RDI=200 % | 3,060 RDI=150 % | 12,810 RDI: 150 % |
| Per 100 g | 40 RDI=10 % | 200 RDI=20 % | 160 RDI=20 % | 380 RDI=20 % | 1,580 RDI: 20 % |
| Per person | 60 RDI=20 % | 330 RDI=30 % | 260 RDI=40 % | 610 RDI=30 % | 2,560 RDI: 30 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 5 people : 3.50 €
- Per person : 0.70 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
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: St Tropez tart, Diplomat cream, Pear verbena tarts, Raisin breads (pains aux raisins), Pear and chocolate tart with a hint of mint, ... See them all 19
Puff or flaky pastry (pâte feuilletée)
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Crusty cockle tart, Apple Pie, Mini palmiers, Ch'ti mussel tarts, Epiphany galette, ... See them all 71
Chantilly cream
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Belle-helene in a glass, Frozen nougat, Coupe Augustin, Cranachan, Key Lime Pie for Jeremy, ... See them all 30
Icing sugar
Like these other recipes: Pistachio madeleines, Toasted almond cake, Marzipan (almond paste), Chocolate madeleines, How to make marzipan decorations, ... See them all 59
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