Easy Mille-Feuille with white chocolate cream and berries

Layers of flaky puff pastry, rich white chocolate cream and tart berries make this easy Mille-Feuille a perfect showstopper dessert.

You guys! It’s Simply Delicious’ 7th birthday today. Say whaaat?! 7 years ago today a whole new world opened up for me and I didn’t even know it. 7 years ago today I was a stay-at-home-mom, bored out of my mind, needing an outlet for my creativity. I didn’t know what I was going to do with my life and had no idea how to channel my passion for cooking and food into anything lucrative or rewarding. All I knew was that starting a blog would give me something to do every day. Fast forward 7 years, that little blog gave me a successful career as a food stylist, photographer, recipe developer and writer. I have consulted with massive International brands, developed recipes for dream clients, been featured on some of the world’s biggest websites and have loved every step of the way. How even?

And the people! I’ve made the best of friends through this platform and honestly, I’m feeling so incredibly happy and grateful today. Who would’ve thought a little blog, starting out with horrific photography and average recipes could result in all of this? Just wow.

So to celebrate today I am giving you one of my all-time favourite recipes and one which actually featured in my first cookbook. This easy, cheat’s version of a classic French Mille-Feuille (also known as custard slice/Napoleon) is a showstopper of note and requires only a little effort.

The effort in question is the white chocolate cream which is so good, I have fantasies of diving head first into a giant vat of the stuff. It’s basically a standard custard cream (or creme patisserie if you want to get fancy) with the addition of white chocolate. However, if you prefer to keep things really simple, simple whipped cream would be delicious as well. And the berries are interchangeable too. Stewed apples/pears scented with cinnamon would be perfect in a autumn version of this lush dessert and even stone fruit could work. But berries are just so gorgeous, aren’t they? If you’re making this for a crowd, bake the puff pastry in large sheets and make a big Mille-feuille to slice table-side. You’ll impress the pants right off your guests. Guaranteed.

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Easy Mille-Feuille with white chocolate cream and berries

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

50 mins

 

Layers of flaky puff pastry, rich white chocolate cream and tart berries make this easy Mille-Feuille a perfect showstopper dessert.

Course: Custard slice, Dessert, Napoleon

Servings: 4

Author: Alida Ryder

Ingredients

for the white chocolate cream

• 300 ml full cream milk whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 egg yolks
• ¼ cup caster sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons cornflour corn starch
• pinch of salt
• 100 g white chocolate finely chopped

for the pastry

• 1 roll ready-made puff pastry thawed
• 3 tablespoons caster sugar

to serve

• fresh berries of your choice
• icing sugar

Instructions

1. To make the white chocolate cream, heat the milk and vanilla in a medium saucepan until just before boiling point (this is called scalding).
2. In the meantime, mix together the egg yolks, sugar, flours and pinch of salt until the mixture is smooth and thick.
3. Once the milk mixture is hot, pour it slowly into the egg yolk mixture whilst continuously whisking.
4. When all the milk has been incorporated, transfer the runny mixture back to the saucepan and over a gentle heat, allow to cook and thicken, whisking continuously.
5. Once the mixture is thick and there is no flouriness when you taste it, remove it from the heat and beat in the chopped white chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted and then pass the mixture through a sieve just in case there are any lumps.
6. Place in a bowl and put a piece of cling film directly onto the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Place in the fridge and allow to cool.
7. To make the pastry layers, start by pre-heating the oven to 180°c and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
8. Roll the puff pastry out on a floured surface and cut into 8-12 rectangles of 5cmx10cm (depending on whether you want 2 or 3 layers). Place the rectangles onto the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with caster sugar.
9. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and puffed up.
10. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. To assemble the Mille-Feuille, layer the pastry rectangles with the white chocolate cream and berries. Dust with icing sugar and serve immediately.

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