Nancy Zinmans Mille Feuille Recipes

MILLE FEUILLE (NAPOLEON PASTRY SHEETS)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with a silicone sheet.
• Separate dough at the seams into 4 squares and place on prepared baking sheet. Score the dough all over with the tines of a fork to prevent it from rising too much when baking. Lightly sprinkle dough sheets with white granulated sugar.
• Cover with a sheet of parchment paper and 3 sheets of aluminum foil. Nest another baking sheet on top to apply some pressure to the dough while it bakes.
• Bake in preheated oven 15 minutes; remove top pan and foil and gently peel off the parchment paper. Return pan to oven and bake until pastry is beautifully browned, 10 to 15 minutes. (Optionally, you can bake about 7 minutes after uncovering, then flip sheets over and bake until brown on the other side, another 7 minutes.)
• Transfer to cooling rack and cool completely before cutting.
• Square the sheets by trimming uneven edges off sheets using a sharp serrated knife with light sawing motion to keep the pastry from breaking. Cut each rectangle crosswise into 3 equal smaller rectangles. Use 3 small rectangles per pastry.

STRAWBERRY & WHITE CHOCOLATE MILLEFEUILLE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. On a lightly floured surface scattered with a little sugar, roll out the pastry to a rectangle slightly larger than 28 x 30cm. Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment and scatter with more sugar. Use the rolling pin to lift the pastry onto the baking parchment.
• Scatter more caster sugar over the pastry and cover with another sheet of baking parchment. Lay another heavy baking sheet (or a baking sheet weighed down with an empty ceramic oven dish if yours aren't heavy) on top and bake for 25-30 mins until the pastry is golden and crisp, then set aside to cool.
• To make the filling, tip the cream into a bowl with 3 tbsp of sugar, and the vanilla seeds. Lightly whisk until the cream just hold its shape and set aside. Hull and quarter the strawberries and set a few aside for the salad, then cut the rest into 3 or 4 chunks. Finely shred the basil, then fold through the cream with the chopped strawberries and lemon zest, then chill until needed.
• When the pastry has cooled completely trim the edges to form a neat 28 x 30cm rectangle. Cut into 3 equal rectangles - to get them precisely the same size, cut one then lay it on the rest of the pastry and use it as a guide to the next rectangle, then repeat.
• To assemble the millefeuille, lay down one rectangle of pastry, add half of the cream and strawberry mix and flatten with the back of a spoon. Place the second pastry layer on top and gently press down. Finely grate over half the white chocolate and top with the remaining cream mix. Place the final layer of pastry on and press down gently so that the filling just starts to bulge over the edges.
• Use a palette knife to smooth the filling along the sides so that it is level with the edges of pastry and fills any gaps. Add a smear of filling across cut pastry edges to help the grated chocolate to stick. Grate chocolate on top. The easiest way to get grated chocolate to stick to the sides is to help it on with a palette knife. Mix the reserved strawberries and the small basil leaves to make a simple salad.
• To serve, carefully slice the millefeuille into 6 equal pieces. As you slice, hold the millefeuille together by placing a finger at either side of the blade. Place a piece of millefeuille to the side of each plate. Spoon a small pile of strawberry salad on the opposite side of the plate and serve.

NANCY ZINMAN'S MILLE-FEUILLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1/3 of the puff pastry to measure approximately 12 inches by 18 inches. Gently lift the dough (it is easier if you drape it over a rolling pin when picking up) and lay it on a 12-by-18-inch baking sheet. Prick dough evenly with a fork. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until pastry is puffed and golden brown. Repeat procedure twice to make a total of three pastry sheets.
• When all the pastry sheets are cool, trim the edges with a serrated knife to form three equal rectangles. Reserve trimmings.
• Fold pastry cream with the whipped cream. Spread a thick layer over the bottom sheet. Place second pastry sheet over the cream mixture. Apply second layer of cream.
• Cover with top sheet of pastry. Dust the top with sifted powdered sugar. You may caramelize the sugar by heating a hot metal object such as a potato masher and pressing it over the sugar. Brush sides of the mille-feuilles with crumbled trimmings from the puff pastry sheets.

MILLE-FEUILLE WITH VANILLA PASTRY CREAM AND BOURBON SAUCE

Steps:

• For the pastry cream: In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, granulated sugar, salt and vanilla seeds and pod. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, then remove from the heat.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and egg yolks. Temper the eggs by adding about 1/4 cup of the warm milk mixture and whisking to combine. Add the egg mixture to the pan and whisk to thoroughly combine.
• Heat the pan over medium-low heat until it begins to thicken. Cook, stirring constantly with a spatula, until the mixture is the consistency of pancake batter, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and discard the vanilla bean pod. Whisk in the butter until combined. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Transfer to a shallow dish and press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface. Place in the refrigerator to cool completely, at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
• For the bourbon sauce: In a small saucepan, add the bourbon, granulated sugar and vanilla beans and pod. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Reduce the liquid by about half until thickened to a syrupy consistency, about 15 minutes. Remove and discard the vanilla bean pod; cool the syrup to room temperature.
• For the mille-feuille: Roll out the puff pastry on a floured surface so that it is a roughly 11-by-16-inch rectangle. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, trim off any uneven edges so that it is a perfect 10-by-15-inch rectangle. Slice the pastry into 12 approximately 2 1/2-by-5-inch rectangles. Place them on a lined baking sheet. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Brush the tops of the puff pastry rectangles with the butter and sprinkle with the granulated sugar. Cover with a sheet of parchment paper and another baking sheet on top so the puff pastry is sandwiched in between. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes. Remove the top baking sheet and parchment and let cool to room temperature.
• To assemble: Spoon a small dollop of the pastry cream onto each plate to act as a "glue" for the first layer of puff pastry. Place one layer of puff pastry onto the cream dollop, then top with a layer of cream. Nestle about 6 raspberries in the pastry cream in rows and top them with a dollop more of pastry cream. Repeat the layers once more and top with a final layer of pastry. Dust the pastry and plate liberally with confectioners' sugar and drizzle the plate around the pastry with the bourbon sauce.