Mille-Feuille

Ingredients

• 500 g all-butter puff pastry
• 40 g icing sugar, for dusting the pastry
• 500 ml whole milk
• 1 vanilla pod, split and scraped
• 5 egg yolks
• 110 g caster sugar
• 45 g cornflour
• 50 g unsalted butter
• 200 g fondant icing sugar
• 2 to 3 tbsp hot water
• 30 g dark chocolate, melted

Before you cook

• Roll the puff pastry into a rectangle roughly 30 cm by 40 cm and 2 mm thick.
• Lay it on a lined baking tray and rest it in the fridge for 30 minutes so it does not shrink.
• Split the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape the seeds into a saucepan with the milk.
• Line a second baking tray with paper, ready to press down on the pastry.

Steps

1. Heat the oven to 190C fan.
2. Prick the chilled pastry all over with a fork, then lay the second sheet of baking paper and the second tray directly on top.
3. Bake for 20 minutes with the tray weighing the pastry down.
4. Lift off the top tray and paper, dust the pastry evenly with the icing sugar and return it to the oven uncovered.
5. Bake for a further 8 to 10 minutes, until the sugar has melted into a dark glossy caramel crust.
6. Slide the pastry onto a rack and leave it to cool completely and crisp.
7. Bring the milk and vanilla to a bare simmer.
8. Whisk the 5 egg yolks with the caster sugar and cornflour until thick and pale.
9. Pour a third of the hot milk over the yolks, whisking, then return the mixture to the pan.
10. Cook over medium heat, whisking without pause, until the cream thickens and bubbles heavily for one minute.
11. Remove from the heat, whisk in the butter, then push the cream through a sieve into a shallow tray.
12. Press cling film onto the surface and chill for at least one hour until cold and set.
13. Cut the cooled pastry into three equal rectangles with a long serrated knife, sawing gently so it does not shatter.
14. Whisk the cold pastry cream until smooth and glossy, then transfer it to a piping bag with a 12 mm plain nozzle.
15. Set the first pastry rectangle caramel-side down and pipe touching lines of cream over the whole surface.
16. Lay the second rectangle on top, press it very lightly and pipe a second identical layer of cream.
17. Place the third rectangle on top with its caramelised face upwards and press to level.
18. Mix the fondant icing sugar with just enough hot water to make a thick pourable icing.
19. Spread the fondant over the top sheet in one smooth pass with a palette knife.
20. Pipe fine parallel lines of melted chocolate across the wet fondant.
21. Drag a cocktail stick through the lines in alternating directions to feather the pattern.
22. Chill for 30 minutes, then trim the ends and cut into six slices with a hot serrated knife.