Try my classic Mille-feuille with a velvety Diplomat cream or some variations with Strawberry, Cherry or Bergamot filling. All are delicious!
WHAT DOES MILLE-FEUILLE MEAN?
Mille-feuille also written as Millefeuille (in French meaning ‘thousand sheets’), pronounced as MIL-feuy, where the vowel ‘y” is pronounced as in the word “yes” or the Greek “γ”, is a French dessert similar to Napoleon.
It is a two or three layer sandwich of puff pastry, alternating with a sweet filling, typically pastry cream, but sometimes whipped cream, or jam.
It is usually glazed with icing or fondant in alternating white and brown (chocolate) strips and combed.
The millefeuilles I make is not glazed but is an easy recipe topped with whipping cream, crumbled sfogliatine and sprinkled with icing sugar and cinnamon.
This is a very simple recipe, which I have been making (literally) for decades as I used to make this dessert since the time I was a teenager and this is the way I learned to make it.
I remember back in Cyprus I used to make mille-feuilles with cream crackers which were very flaky biscuits, almost similar to puff pastry, but unfortunately I cannot find them any more here in Greece, so now I either make it with baked puff pastry and for the easy version I use sfogliatine biscuits.
How many layers has a Mille-feuille?
Mille-feuille is usually constructed of three layers of puff pastry, with a pastry cream between the layers and topped with chocolate and vanilla icing.
I make mine a bit different. I add two layers of puff pastry, two layers of pastry cream, topped with whipped cream and decorated with crushed puff pastry, icing sugar and cinnamon.
In the recipe with the pistachios, I did not add any cinnamon on top.
Before going to the classic recipes, which you will find at the end, let me show you some of the Mille-feuilles I have made over the years.
STRAWBERRY MILLE-FEUILLE
During Strawberry season, I like making a Strawberry Mille-feuille. Between the layers of puff pastry I add a pastry cream in which I add some Strawberry Sauce. On top I decorate it with raw strawberries.
In this recipes the strawberry sauce was made with 300 grams strawberries and 1/4 cup sugar. After making the sauce, I let it cool and I puree it with a hand blender. I then mix it in the pastry cream.
MILLE-FEUILLE WITH CHERRY CREAM
In this Mille-feuille apart from the pastry cream, I also made a second cream using my cherry compote with heavy cream. I thickened the cream with gelatin.
BERGAMOT MILLE-FEUILLE:
This year when I made some Bergamot preserve a few days ago, I had some leftover syrup, which I used to make the pastry cream. I added some fruit in the cream and on top.
You will need:
- 1 cup bergamot spoon sweet syrup
- 5 Bergamot fruit preserves.
In onder to make the pastry cream, replace 1 cup milk with 1 cup bergamot syrup and do not add any sugar. Taste and adjust if you need it sweeter.
Cut the fruit preserves into small pieces and place half on top of the pastry cream and other half on top of the whipped cream.
MILLE-FEUILLE WITH MULBERRY JAM
Here I made the classic Mille-feuille but on top of the pastry cream I added spoonfuls of mulberry jam on top. Alternatively, if you like you can mix the jam in the pastry cream as I did with the Strawberry Mille-feuille.
How to make mille-feuille
- Prepare the pastry cream, cover with cling film and set aside until it cools.
- Meantime, prepare the whipped cream. Whip cream using a hand mixer with icing sugar and vanilla until peaks form. Refrigerate before using.
- If you are making the puff layers yourself, bake the puff pastry until golden, otherwise use puff pastry biscuits.
- Layer the puff pastry biscuits in a Pyrex. Add the pastry cream on top and spread it over the biscuits. I like to lighten the pastry cream with whipped cream (it is called Diplomat Cream) but you can skip this step if desired. So, when pastry cream has cooled, I add 1/3rd of the whipped cream to the pastry cream and with a hand mixer, I mix them together.
- I continue with a second layer of biscuits and a second layer of cream.
- Reserve 2 – 3 biscuits, preferably any which have crumbled and place one layer of biscuits in a rectangle bowl 22 x 32 cm. Pour a layer of cream over it. Add a second layer of biscuits and remaining cream.
- Top with whipped cream and crumble the reserved biscuits on top.
- Sprinkle some icing sugar and cinnamon on top.
- Refrigerate at least one hour before serving.
Mille-feuille with Diplomat Cream and Pistachios
Mille-feuille also written as Millefeuille (in French meaning 'thousand sheets'), known also as Napoleon, is a two or three layer sandwich of puff pastry, alternating with a sweet filling, typically pastry cream, but sometimes whipped cream, or jam.
Ingredients
- 2 packets of sfogliatine biscuits (or bake your own puff pastry)
- 50 grams roasted, shelled and unsalted pistachios
Pastry cream:
- 1.5 litres whole milk
- 150 grams corn flour (starch)
- 150 grams crystal sugar
- ½ tsp citrus essence (or vanilla)
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
Whipped cream:
- 400 ml heavy cream
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- 3 - 4 drops vanilla essence
Instructions
Prepare Pastry Cream:
- Heat the milk reserving 1/4 cup cold milk.
- In another pot add the corn flour, eggs, sugar, citrus essence, zest and the cold milk and stir well with an egg beater, until the mixture is combined.
- Pour the hot milk to the mixture stirring constantly, on the heat, until cream sets.
- Remove from the heat and set aside to cool Cover with cling film or mix it every now and then so that no crust is formed on top.
Prepare the whipped cream :
- Whip cream using a hand mixer with icing sugar and vanilla until peaks form. Refrigerate before using.
- When pastry cream has cooled, add 1/3rd of whipped cream and with a hand mixer, mix to incorporate.
To assemble the dessert:
- Layer 20 biscuits in a 22 x 35 cm Pyrex.
- Add half the pastry cream and spread it to cover the biscuits.
- Layer the other 20 biscuits and add the remaining pastry cream.
- Pipe the whipped cream.
- Crumble the reserved biscuits and pound the pistachios.
- Decorate with the reserved biscuit and pistachios.
- Refrigerate at least one hour before serving
Nutrition Information
Yield 12 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 342Total Fat 20gSaturated Fat 11gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 128mgSodium 119mgCarbohydrates 33gFiber 1gSugar 22gProtein 9g
"These values are automatically calculated and offered for guidance only. Their accuracy is not guaranteed."
Kopiaste and Kali Orexi,
Dimitra
Tuesday 21st of June 2016
I love millefeuilles done this way I call it the Cypriot way because it tastes like the ones I get from the bakeries in Cyprus. I get this everyday whilst on holiday along with a koupa and a squeeze of lemon he he. Thanks for this recipe because now I dont have to wait to go on holiday to have it and all my family love it (",)
tasteofbeirut
Saturday 27th of August 2011
What a great idea! I used to think it anathema to make anything other than puff pastry but now I think your method is brilliant!!!!! Will try it someday, as I used to buy the sfogliatine cookies all the time and eat them for breakfast. A little pastry cream and they are great for a dessert!
Ivy
Saturday 27th of August 2011
Thank you Joumana.
ivyliac
Saturday 1st of May 2010
Dimitra, I used to make this dessert thirty years ago when I was still in Cyprus and back then I also made it with crackers. However, I don't know how the crackers are now in Cyprus but back then they were flaky and crispy and perfect for the millefeuilles. The crackers in Greece are very dense and not suitable for this dessert, so I use sfogliatine and they are great. I don't know what kind of cream your mum makes for galaktoboureko, as some people just make a simple custard and if that is the case it would be fine but not the cream which is with semolina.
Dimitra
Saturday 1st of May 2010
your desert lookks gr8 ive been looking everywhere for a desert i always get in cyprus from zorbas i thought it was made from crackers but im going to get the sfogliatine biscuits and make it tonight, my mum makes one from crackers with the cream u use from galadoboureko so it dont really taste the same but still nice, is ur recipe a traditional one from cyprus that can be found in the bakeries over there?
Ginny
Tuesday 10th of June 2008
Looks great! You definitely deserve the award!!! :)