I've got a little behind on my Bake Off posts this year :( These Mille Feuille are my take on one part of the showstopper from the semi-finals of GBBO 2018. I made my own rough puff pastry and filled layers of puff with a cherry chocolate ganache and cherry curd, then iced the top layer of puff pastry to give a neat finish.
These are the perfect showstopper dessert to serve at a dinner party, but once assembled, they ideally need to be eaten the same day - one workaround for this is to make all the components (puff pastry, curd and ganache) the day (or a few days) before, and assemble just before you need them :)
I made my ganache dairy-free (as I find cream overrides the chocolate flavour and makes the ganache too rich).
Makes 12
Ingredients:
For the puff pastry:
- 250g '00 plain flour
- 250g butter, frozen (to enable grating)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 125ml cold water
For the cherry curd:
- 140g (1 cup) frozen cherries
- 115g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 3 egg yolks
- 4 tbsp butter
For the cherry chocolate ganache:
- 200g milk chocolate (dairy-free)
- 100g dairy-free sunflower margarine
- 150g icing sugar
- 2 tbsp hazelnut milk
- 2 tbsp cherry liqueur (or concentrated cherry syrup)
For the icing:
- 100g icing sugar
- 2-3 tbsp hazelnut milk
Method:
1. Prepare your ruff puff pastry. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and grate over the frozen butter and add the salt. Mix together with your fingertips until all of the butter has been coated in flour.
2. Slowly pour over the water, and bring the dough together into a ball - try not to overwork the pastry.
3. Dust your work surface with flour, and tip your dough onto the surface. Roll out to a rectangle about 40 x 20cm in size. With the long edge facing you, fold the right third over the middle of the dough, and the left third on top of it (like making an A4 leaflet). Cover in clingfilm and chill for 20 minutes.
4. Unwrap the dough, turn so the long edge is facing you, and then roll out the dough to a 40 x 20cm rectangle. Fold as in step 3. Turn the dough 90 degrees (a quarter turn) - so the long edge is again facing you - and roll and fold again. Cover in cling-film and chill for 30 minutes.
5. Repeat the rolling and folding twice more, and chill for a final 30 minutes (this can be chilled overnight if very short on time).
6. Meanwhile, make your fillings. To make the cherry curd, place the cherries, lime juice and sugar into a saucepan, and place on a medium heat. Leave to cook for 3-5 minutes, until the cherries have fully broken down.
7. Press the mixture through a sieve (to remove and cherry skins) into a bowl. In a separate bowl whisk the egg yolks, and pour over the cherry mixture, whisking constantly.
8. Return to the pan on a low heat, stirring constantly for around 5 minutes, until the curd has started to thicken. Add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, and continue to cook for a minute or so, or until the curd is thick enough to cover the back of a spoon. Pour into a bowl, and leave to cool to room temperature. Cover, and place in the fridge until ready to use.
9. Make the cherry chocolate ganache, by melting the milk chocolate and margarine in a saucepan over a low heat. Once melted, pour into a mixing bowl and leave for a few minutes to cool slightly.
10. Sift over the icing sugar, then add the hazelnut milk and cherry liqueur/syrup. Beat until the mixture is thick and glossy - if it's too stiff, add more milk or cherry liqueur (depending on how strong a cherry kick you want in the ganache), and if it's too loose, add more icing sugar, a tablespoon at a time. Cover and chill for at least an hour - if at this point it is still very runny, add more icing sugar until it would be firm enough to pipe.
6. Preheat your oven to 220c (200c fan)/430f/gas mark 7. Grease and line baking tray with baking parchment.
7. Roll the puff pastry out on a floured surface until it is a rectangle about 33 x 30cm in size. Cut into 18 rectangles, 11cm x 5cm. Transfer to the lined baking tray. Place any rectangles that don't fit onto the tray back in the fridge whilst the first batch bakes.
8. Cover the tray with another layer of baking parchment, and top with another tray. Bake for 25 minutes, until golden brown, then leave to cool fully.
9. To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl, and add the hazelnut milk, one teaspoon at a time until the icing is thick enough to pipe.
10. To assemble, slice each rectangle into two (to get to 36 rectangles of puff pastry). Place one rectangle cut side up on your work surface. Pour the cherry curd into one piping bag, and the ganache into another. Pipe "blobs" of curd and ganache over the puff pastry layer (about one teaspoon's worth of ganache/curd per blob). Top with a second layer of puff pastry, and add more ganache and curd. Top with the final layer of puff pastry (cut side DOWN).
11. Gently smooth the icing on top of the final layer of puff pastry so that it just reaches the edges of the rectangle. Across the short edge of the rectangle, pipe thin lines of cherry curd, and lightly drag the back of a spoon through the lines to create a feathering effect. Leave for around 10 minutes (until the icing has started to set), and then serve.
12. Enjoy!
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