MKR episode 8 recipe: Millefoglie

Prep time: Two hours plus resting.

Cook time: 45 mins.

Serves 10-12.

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Ingredients

Raspberries, to decorate

Puff pastry

500g strong white bread flour

¼ tsp salt

150ml water

450g cold butter

Crème patissiere

500ml milk

1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped

120g caster sugar

5 egg yolks

20g cornflour

20g plain flour

500ml thickened cream

2 gelatine leaves

Raspberry coulis

450g fresh or frozen raspberries

3 tbs caster sugar

1 tbs lemon juice

Method

1. To make puff pastry, combine flour, salt and the water in a bowl until mixture comes together. Turn

out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic.

2. Stretch out the pastry into a 10cm x 30cm rectangle. Using a rolling pin, flatten out butter into a 8cm x 9cm rectangle.

3. Place butter in centre of pastry. Fold one short end into middle, over butter, then fold opposite end over the top (butter should now be enclosed in pastry).

4. Turn pastry 90° and fold in half. Roll into a 10 x 30cm rectangle. Repeat folding process. Refrigerate, covered in cling film, for 30 minutes.

5. Repeat rolling and folding process two more times. Refrigerate, covered, for a further 30 minutes. Repeat rolling and folding process a further two times, refrigerating for another 30 minutes at the end. Pastry should be folded and rolled six times in total.

6. Divide pastry into three portions. Roll out each portion on a lightly floured surface into a 20cm x 40cm rectangle.

7. Preheat oven to 180C.

8. Working in batches, place a sheet of pastry on an oven tray lined with baking paper. Top with a second piece of baking paper and a second baking tray. Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden and crisp. Trim edges of pastry sheets and cut each sheet into 10-12 even size rectangles or squares (depending on how large you would like the portions).

9. To make crème patissiere, stir milk, vanilla bean and seeds and sugar in a saucepan over low heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture is hot.

10. Whisk egg yolks and sifted flours in a large bowl until smooth and combined. Gradually whisk in hot milk mixture in a thin steady stream.

11. Return mixture to saucepan and cook, stirring, over low heat until thick. Pass through a sieve and in to a bowl. Cover surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold.

12. Whisk 375ml of the cream to soft peaks. Set aside.

13. Soak gelatine leaves in cold water.

14. Heat remaining 125ml of cream in small saucepan over medium heat until hot. Remove from heat. Squeeze excess water out of gelatine and add to hot cream. Stir until melted and dissolved. Pour mixture into a large bowl. Add a quarter of the creme patissiere and whisk to combine. Add remaining creme patissiere and fold to combine. Fold in whipped cream. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 1.5cm nozzle. Twist top of bag and secure with an elastic band. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until cold.

15. To make coulis, stir raspberries and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar has dissolved and raspberries have broken down. Simmer for 5 minutes or until thickened. Pass through a fine sieve and discard seeds. Stir in lemon juice. Cool completely.

16. Arrange a third of the pastry rectangles or squares on serving plates. Pipe on a layer of crème patissiere. Top with a second pastry rectangle, another layer of crème patissiere, a final pastry rectangle and a final layer of crème patissiere. Decorate with raspberries. Serve with raspberry coulis.

Tip

When rolling the puff pastry, always roll in one direction. Rolling back and forth may cause the butter to tear the pastry layers.

If you are making this dish to entertain, you can make this as one large millefoglie, then cut to serve at the table.

Millefoglie. Credit: 7NEWS