Mille-Feuille (Napoleon)

Ingredients

• Hide ingredients for Pastry Cream 1 Pastry Cream (opens in new tab) Pastry Cream
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 1 large egg
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ cups whole milk
  • (1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise)
  • 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • (1 teaspoon vanilla)

  Sub-recipe steps

  1. Whisk together in a medium heatproof bowl until smooth: ½ cup sugar; 2 tablespoons cornstarch; 3 large egg yolks; 1 large egg; ¼ teaspoon salt
  2. Bring to a simmer in a medium saucepan: 1 ½ cups whole milk; (1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise)
  3. If using, remove the vanilla bean and set aside. Slowly pour half the hot milk over the egg mixture while whisking it constantly. Whisk the tempered egg mixture into the saucepan with the remaining milk and cook, stirring constantly, over medium-low heat until the cream thickens, about 2 minutes. Immediately scrape the custard into a clean bowl and stir in: 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  4. If you used a vanilla bean, scrape the seeds from the pod and stir into the pastry cream. If you did not use vanilla bean, stir in, if desired: (1 teaspoon vanilla)
  5. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool, then refrigerate before using. This keeps, refrigerated, for up to 2 days. When ready to use, transfer the pastry cream to a bowl, or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, and beat on low speed until smooth and creamy.
• Hide ingredients for ½ recipe Puff Pastry 1 ½ recipe Puff Pastry (opens in new tab) ½ recipe Puff Pastry
  • 2 ⅓ cups (290g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
  • 5 tablespoons (70g) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
  • ¾ cup (175g) ice water
  • 3 ½ sticks (14 oz or 395g) unsalted butter
  • 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour

  Sub-recipe steps

  1. Pulse to combine in a food processor: 2 ⅓ cups (290g) all-purpose flour; 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
  2. Scatter over the flour: 5 tablespoons (70g) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
  3. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Drizzle over: ¾ cup (175g) ice water
  4. Pulse just until the dough begins to come together, 10 to 15 seconds. Scrape the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and form it into a 5-inch square. Wrap the dough and refrigerate for 1 hour.
  5. Meanwhile, cut into ½-inch slices and freeze for 2 minutes: 3 ½ sticks (14 oz or 395g) unsalted butter
  6. Place in the food processor: 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour
  7. Distribute the butter slices over the flour and pulse just until the mixture looks like fine gravel. Scrape the mixture down from the processor sides and process just until smooth. Scrape onto a sheet of plastic wrap and shape the butter into a 6-inch square. Wrap the butter block tightly and refrigerate while you roll out the dough.
  8. Place the dough square on a lightly floured surface and roll into a 13 × 8-inch rectangle. Brush off the excess flour. Remove the butter block from the refrigerator and unwrap it. As shown in the top three illustrations, above, center it on one half of the dough; fold the dough over the butter, completely covering it; press the dough together to seal on the three open sides. Turn the dough a quarter turn counterclockwise.
  9. Roll the dough package into a 17 × 7 ½-inch rectangle, keeping a short side facing you. Fold the bottom third of the dough up over the center of the dough. Fold the top third of the dough down over top of the first third, as though you were folding a business letter. This is called a single turn (shown on the bottom left). Rotate the dough a quarter turn counterclockwise and roll the dough once more into a 17 × 7 ½-inch rectangle. This time fold the bottom end up and the top end down to meet in the center (do not overlap), then fold the dough in half, to make 4 layers of dough, as shown on bottom center and right. This double fold is the second turn. Mark the dough with 2 finger imprints to remind yourself that you have given the dough 2 turns. Wrap the dough tightly and refrigerate for 45 minutes.
  10. With the folded edge on the left, roll the dough out again to 17 × 7 ½ inches. Make another double fold, for the third turn. Mark with 3 finger imprints, wrap the dough, and refrigerate for 45 minutes.
  11. Roll the dough out and make another double fold for the fourth turn. Mark the dough with 4 imprints, wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before using. Or wrap and store as directed in About Puff Pastry.
• 1 ½ tablespoons apricot jam, warmed
• Powdered sugar