Millefeuille (Puff pastry)

You can find my step-by-step recipe of Patissière Cream (find detailed step-by-step recipe in the Basic Techniques)

In a saucepan , bring to the boil the milk

Put the eggs , and sugar into a large bowl and whisk well... 

Then add the corn starch  and whisk to combine 

Remove the pan from the heat , and pour 1/3 of the boiling milk on top of the eggs' mixture stir with a hand whisk.

Then pour the milk & eggs  mixture in the pan with  the rest 2/3 of boiling milk

Put the mixture on the head and bring to the boil at small heat . Cook the custard for 2-3 minutes and whisk the it continuously. 

Leave the custard to cool to 50 -60 °C and incorporate the soft butter.

Firstly make the détrempe - a simple dough composed of flour, salt, water and butter.

Place the dry ingredients on the work surface, make a well in the centre (Photo 1) 

Add in the center combined  melted butter with the cold water (Photo 2)

Using your fingertips, gradually incorporate the flour, starting from the inside of the well. 

When the mixture thickens, use your hands to bring it together until ot forms a dough.

Form a ball and cut a cross in the top about 2,5 cm (1 inch) deep (Picture 3)

Wrap in cling film and put in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Put the butter between 2 pieces of greaseproof paper (Picture 4)  and flatten out with a rolling pin until it is a rectangle 20 cm x 20 cm (Picture 5).

Store flat in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Take the detrèmpe out of the fridge and roll each quarter until a square 40 x 40 cm is formed  (Picture 6).

Place the rectangle of butter in the centre (Picture 6)

Take the butter out of the paper and put on the dough rectangle. Bring the corners of the dough together to make an envelope (Picture 7).

The detrempe is folded arround the butter to form the Paton.

The single turn

Roll out the Paton on a floured surface to make a rectangle 30 x 60 cm 

Fold one third into the middle (Picture 8) and then the other third on top. (Picture 9)

The double turn

Seal the edges lightly with a rolling pin and turn the pastry 90 degrees so that the exposed edge is on the right (as if the dough were a book)

Roll out the pastry to a rectangle 30 x 60 cm.

Fold both ends until they meet in the centre. (Picture 10)

(Fold the pastry in half again to complete the book turn.  (Picture 11)

This is equal to 2 single turns.

Wrap in cling film and put in the fridge for 30 minutes - 1 hour.

Repeat, making a double turn and single turn.

Roll-out the puff pastry to a rectangle 60 x 40 cm 

At the end place the puff pastry on the sheet of backing paper (Picture 15) and a pick  entire surface of the dough with a fork. 

At this step You can cut your gought into 3 equal rectanglesin order to get them  the same size. 

Then place the dough on the baking tray and cover it with a backing papre and wire rack (Picture 17) to stop it from rising excessively.

Bake for 45 minutes  (180°C). 

At the end You can remouve the paper and the wire rack  and put the pastry back in the oven for 6 to 10 minutes.

Check out the colour of the pastry, it could be  golden brown (Picture 18).

With a serrated knife trim edges of the rectangle (Picture 19)

Divide the pastry into 3 rectangles -if not yet done before  (Picture 20)

Fill a piping bage fitted with a medium size round nozzle (N 12-14) with the Patissiere cream.

Assembly a millefeulle with 1 rectangle of puff pastry, a layer of cream patissiere (Picture 21), the an other rectangle of puff pastry, press it gently to adhere  (Picture 22), and an other layer of cream (Picture 23) and the third rectangle of puff pastry. (Picture 24)

Fondant can be heated directly in a saucepan to the temperature 32-35°C (90-95°F).

You may need  to adjust the consistency a little by adding water to soften and make it a good workable. The consistency should be fluid but thick enough (Picture 26).

It's important to not overheat the fondant otherwise it has a tendency to cristalize.

Warm the chocolate on bain-marie (Picture 27) until the chocolate has completely melted.

Make a parchment paper cone (Picture 28 ) and fill the cone with melted chocolate just before start the icing.

Pour a thin layer of the icing over the top of the millefeuille (Picture 29)

Gently run a palette knife across the top of the millefeuille ensuring a thin coating.

Immediately pipe the thin lines of chocolate horizontally across the top (Picture 32) and drag a knife through the lines of chocolate lengthways to decorate.  (Pictures 33 & 34)

With a serrated knife trim edges if needed (Picture 35) 

You can divide in indivividual pastries (Picture 36  & Picture 37). Rectangles size 12 x 5 cm.