Mille-Feuille Recipe
Crisp puff pastry, silky vanilla custard and a marbled glaze — mille-feuille is the French patisserie classic that looks impressive and tastes even better.
- Prep time
- 30 mins
- Cook time
- 25 mins
- Total time
- 55 mins
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Calories
- 480
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Ingredients
- 500 g all-butter puff pastry
- 500 ml whole milk
- 1 vanilla pod or 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 egg yolks
- 100 g sugar
- 40 g cornflour
- 100 g icing sugar
- 2 tbsp water
- 30 g dark chocolate, melted
Instructions
- Bake the pastry sheets between two trays at 200C for 20 to 25 minutes until deep golden, then cool and trim.
- Heat the milk with the vanilla until just simmering.
- Whisk the yolks, sugar and cornflour until pale, then whisk in the hot milk.
- Return to the pan and cook, stirring, until thick; cool with cling film on the surface.
- Spread custard over two pastry layers and stack them, reserving the neatest layer for the top.
- Ice the top with icing sugar and water, feather with chocolate lines, chill 30 minutes, then slice with a serrated knife.
Pro tips
- Baking pastry under a second tray keeps it flat and crisp for layering.
- Cool custard fully before assembling or the layers slide.
- A serrated knife saws cleanly through crisp pastry without crushing it.
- Assemble the same day for the best crispness.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use shop-bought custard?
Yes, thick ready-made custard works, though vanilla pastry cream tastes better.
Why is my pastry soggy?
It was underbaked or assembled too far ahead; bake until deep golden.
Can I make it ahead?
Bake pastry and make custard a day ahead, but assemble within a few hours of serving.
What does mille-feuille mean?
A thousand leaves, for the many layers of puff pastry.
