Vanilla & Hazelnut Mille-Feuille

Crème Pâtissière Filling

Heat the milk and vanilla gently in a saucepan until it just comes to a boil. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until pale, fluffy and smooth. Add the cornflour to the egg mixture and whisk well to combine.

Pour the hot milk in a slow, thin stream into the egg mixture, while whisking constantly. Add this mixture back to the saucepan and cook over medium heat. Whisk the mixture continuously until it has thickened and comes to a boil. Once the mixture has come to a boil, cook for a further minute, then remove from heat and stir in the butter until incorporated.

Divide the mixture equally into two bowls. Mix the hazelnut spread and toasted hazelnuts into one half and leave the other mixture as is. Place cling wrap on the top of each bowl, allowing it to sit on top of the mixture – this will prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until ready to use. When ready to pipe, transfer the mixture into two piping bags.

Puff Pastry

Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Gently roll the puff pastry out on a floured surface, then measure and cut into 10×5 cm rectangles. Place the puff pastry rectangles onto the tray, leaving space in between. Prick each pastry sheet with a fork a few times and use a pastry brush to brush each rectangle with egg wash. Place another sheet of baking paper on top of the puff pastry and then another baking tray on top. Place into the oven to bake for about 15 minutes, check until the pastry is golden brown. Remove and cool completely.

To Assemble 

To build the mille-feuille, you will need three rectangles of pastry each. Pipe alternate dots of the crème pâtissière flavours onto all layers of puff pastry, then carefully stack three on top of each other to make one. Finely microplane hazelnut on top to garnish and serve immediately.

Enjoy with a glass of Leopard’s Leap Culinaria Brut Méthod Cap Classique.