Strawberry Mille-Feuille - Napoleon pastry

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This strawberry Mille-Feuille or Napoleon is a twist on the classic mille-feuille. Made with buttery flaky puff pastry with alternating layers of strawberry pastry cream and whipped cream.

Did you know that mille-feuille means, thousand layers? and napoleon means flaky? yup, so we talking flaky pastry with thousand layers. If you've made homemade puff pastry then you know that the puff pastry is known to have a thousand layers.

The mille-feuille is one of those desserts that are highly-priced in French restaurants and patisseries around the world. The truth is that this dessert is really not that hard to make. I have shared two mille-feuille recipes with you already the classic vanilla mille-feuille and an exotic maple mille-feuille. Now that strawberries are in season I thought why now give this classic a strawberry twist.

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About this mille-feuille

This dessert looks complicated but in reality, it is very simple and easy. There are four components to making this dessert.

• Puff pastry sheets - The trick to getting this perfect is to dock the pastry and sandwich it between two parchment paper and two baking trays. Docking, as well as the weight of the baking tray, prevents it from puffing. When baked to a nice golden color the pastry becomes crisp so it cracks when cutting with a fork.
• Pastry cream - For the mille-feuille I prefer to use a nice stiff consistency of pastry cream, that will hold its shape. If the pastry is too soft it will easily spread and the layers will collapse.
• Stabilized pastry cream is often used in French patisseries to prevent the pastry cream from spreading. Gelatin is often used as a stabilizer. Today, we have used extra cornstarch but you must cook it until it thickens as shown in the video.
• Whipped cream - I like to add whipped cream to the pastry cream to lighten it up.
• Assembling - The puff pastry and pastry cream can be made up to three days ahead of time. You can even assemble the mille-feuille a day in advance.

Ingredients and substitutes

• Puff Pastry - Store-bought is just fine. I often make homemade puff pastry too. But, either one works just fine.
• Milk - For the sake of consistency it is important to use full-fat milk, no low-fat or skimmed milk.
• Sugar - I use white fine grain sugar so it dissolves easily in the milk
• Cream - again you want to use a good 38% or more or you won't have the right consistency for your pastry cream.
• Vanilla - I like to use vanilla bean scrapings because it gives me those black specks in the pastry cream just like you find in the French patisseries.

Step by step instructions (pin)

Strawberry puree

• Blend strawberries until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and combine well. Set aside.
  Tip - If you strain the puree through a sieve or mesh, it will remove the seeds giving you a wonderfully smooth finish for the pastry cream.

Puff pastry

• Preheat the oven at 190 C / 375 F. Cut the puff pastry into two. Roll each sheet to about 12 x 8-inch rectangle
  Tip - this measure is a guide but you can certainly main your own size and shape.
• Work with one sheet at a time. Place on a parchment paper so it’s easy to move around.
  Tip - always keep puff pastry chilled or it will be difficult to work with. If necessary place in the freezer for 5 minutes for a quick chill between steps
• Then cut the pastry at every 2-inch interval so you have 6 long strips. Cut each strip in half at the center so you should have 12 equal pieces. Dock the pastry with the fork and sprinkle with granulated sugar
  Tip - docking the pastry encourages crispness, and, the granulated sugar caramelizes and gives that golden color to the baked pastry
• Place a parchment paper on top. Then place a baking tray on top.
  Tip - the top baking tray prevents the pastry from puffing too much as well as helps make it crispy.
• Bake on the center rack for 15 minutes
• Remove the baking tray and parchment paper – bake another 10 minutes until lightly golden. Remove and let cool completely
  Tip - the final baking without the baking tray will encourage the pastry to become crisp which is what we want.

Strawberry pastry cream

• Today, we are using the simple one-pot pastry cream method but you can also use the classic pastry cream method. Click to videos on how to make these
• In a heavy-bottom saucepan combine sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks, vanilla bean paste, and salt. Gradually add the milk while whisking to prevent lumps.
• Place the saucepan on medium heat stirring continuously until the pastry cream thickens.
  Tip - You want the pastry cream to come to a low simmer (boil) so the cornstarch will thicken the mixture and cookout.
• Add the butter and continue to stir on low making sure to prevent the pastry from sticking or burning at the bottom.
• Once the pastry cream is thick, remove from heat and pass it through a sieve or mesh. This will remove any lump and give you a smooth velvet-like pastry cream.
• Cover with the plastic wrap touching the surface of the cream. Set aside to cool completely.
  Tip - the plastic touching the pastry cream will prevent skin from forming on the pastry cream which can later cause lumps and cause blockage in the piping bag
• When cooled add half the strawberry mixture and combine well.

Whip the cream

• Whip the cream using a whisk attachment until soft peaks.
• Combine half the whipped cream to the chilled pastry cream. Use a whisk to ensure you have no lumps. Save the rest of the whipped cream for the top layer. I piped only some with whipped cream on the top layer
  Tip - adding whipped cream to the pastry cream will lighten it up. I highly recommend it.
• Use a whisk to ensure you have no lumps.
• Transfer to a piping bag with a large round piping nozzle.

Assemble

• Each mille-feuille or napoleon uses three puff pastry pieces. Two rows of pastry cream mixture and one row of whipped cream mixture.
• Place one piece of puff pastry on the serving plate. Pipe two or three lines of pastry cream mixture.
• Top with the second piece of puff pastry and pipe another round of pastry cream mixture.
• Top with the third piece of puff pastry and pipe the pastry cream on the edges and carefully add a tablespoon of the strawberry mixture. Garnish with chopped fresh strawberries.

Frequently asked questions

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You may also like

• Maple Mille Feuille - Napoleon
• Classic Mille Feuille - Napoleon
• Homemade Puff Pastry from scratch
• Cream puff or Profiteroles
• Danish Pastry or Croissants

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