For this week’s technical challenge, we’ve got a classic raspberry mille feuille! This dessert is one of my favorite pastries that GBBO has made, just based off the fact that it is so beautiful. A mille feuille is a classic French pastry made of 3 layers of puff pastry alternating with 2 layers of pastry cream or crème diplomat. You can decorate it however you’d like, but most of the time I’ve seen it garnished with fruit (raspberries are my go-to) or covered with drizzled chocolate and vanilla icing. The perfect dessert if you’re looking to impress, and a guaranteed way to get a coveted Hollywood handshake! Who else is looking forward to the GBBO finale?
Raspberry Mille Feuille
Ingredients
Crème Diplomat
- 2 cups whole milk (475ml)
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar (135g)
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup cornstarch (35g)
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter, cold (15g)
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 tbsp powdered sugar
Pastry
- 1 package of frozen puff pastry (2 sheets)
- fruit of choice (raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, etc)
- mint leaves for garnish
Instructions
- First make the crème diplomat. Crème diplomat is essentially a classic pastry cream with whipped cream mixed in. In a medium pot, add the whole milk and the vanilla. Place over medium-high heat until boiling, and then let it sit for 15 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Add the egg yolks and whisk or beat until fully incorporated and fluffy. After the boiled milk has cooled for 15 minutes, slowly stream in 1/4 cup of the milk into the sugar and egg mix. Whisk to completely combine, and then while whisking constantly stream in the rest of the hot milk. Once everything is combined, pour the mix back into the pot and place over medium-high heat. Whisk constantly until it thickens up and slowly boils. It may take a while and seem like nothing's happening, and then all of a sudden it will thicken up QUICKLY so make sure you're paying attention!
- Once done, strain the pastry cream into a medium sized bowl; this will help smooth out any chunks or lumps that may have formed while cooking. Place a sheet of plastic wrap over top pushed down to the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Thaw the frozen puff pastry out at room temp for ~45 minutes before baking. While it's thawing, preheat the oven to 400°F. Once thawed, roll out the sheet quite thin, ~1/16". Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut the pastry sheets into precise 2"x4" pieces. Depending on the brand of puff pastry you may need one or two sheets to get the 27 pieces needed for 9 mille feuille. Alternatively, you can make as many or as few as you'd like, or make them larger if you'd prefer.
- Once your pastries are cut, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving 1/2" between them. Place a second sheet of parchment paper over top, followed by a second baking sheet, weighed down with pie weights if necessary. We want to prevent the puff pastry from puffing (ironic right?) as much as possible while baking to get that nice thin crispy pastry. Bake the pastry for 11-15 minutes, or until golden brown, rotating the pan halfway through. Once they're done, remove from the baking sheet and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- While the puff pastry is cooling, make the whipped cream. In a small bowl, add the heavy cream and the powdered sugar. Beat or whisk together on high speed until stiff peaks JUST begin to form. Make sure the pastry cream has chilled long enough before doing this and that you're ready to assemble the mille feuille. Remove the pastry cream from the fridge and whip it to break it up and make it smooth again. Add 1/2 cup of the whipped cream to the pastry cream and whisk together. Add the remainder of the whipped cream and fold it in until the crème diplomat is nice and smooth. Add to a piping bag with a round tip.
- On one piece of pastry, pipe dollops of crème diplomat alternating with raspberries, and then repeat with the top layer, making sure to alternate positions from the bottom. Add the top layer, and top with just dollops of crème diplomat and then add berries on top. Garnish with mint and powdered sugar, and repeat with the rest of the pastry. NOTE: if the pastry pieces are looking a little rough, you can clean up the edges with a very sharp knife before assembly.
- Enjoy!
