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Mille-Feuille (Napoleon Pastry) Recipe

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★★★★★

4.6 from 142 reviews

This classic French dessert, Mille-Feuille (also known as Napoleon Pastry), features layers of flaky all-butter puff pastry filled with smooth, rich diplomat cream—a lightened version of traditional pastry cream. The top is elegantly finished with a mock fondant glaze patterned with cocoa, creating a beautiful chevron design. The recipe provides detailed steps to prepare the puff pastry, make the gelatin-enhanced pastry cream, fold in whipped cream for lightness, and assemble the dessert for stunning results.

Ingredients

Scale

Pastry Cream

  • 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
  • 1 tablespoon cold water
  • 1 1/3 cups milk
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Diplomat Cream

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream

Puff Pastry

  • 1 (14 ounce) package Dufour All-Butter Puff Pastry

Mock Fondant

  • 1 cup powdered sugar (130 grams)
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons milk (divided)
  • 1 tablespoon corn syrup
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder

Instructions

  1. Prepare Gelatin: In a very small bowl, stir the gelatin into cold water and set aside to bloom.
  2. Heat Milk: In a small saucepan, heat the milk until very hot but not boiling, then remove from heat.
  3. Mix Egg Yolks and Sugar: In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and granulated sugar until combined. Whisk in the flour.
  4. Combine with Hot Milk: Gradually whisk the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture. Strain this mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a clean saucepan.
  5. Cook Pastry Cream: Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils. Continue stirring and boiling for 1 minute to thicken.
  6. Add Gelatin: Remove from heat and add the bloomed gelatin pieces, stirring until fully melted and incorporated.
  7. Cool Pastry Cream: Transfer to a container, cover the surface with plastic wrap poked with holes, and bring to room temperature. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days or freeze for several months.
  8. Make Diplomat Cream: Beat heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Whisk the chilled pastry cream until smooth and fold in the whipped cream gently. Chill until ready to use.
  9. Prepare Puff Pastry: Thaw puff pastry in refrigerator as directed (about 3 hours or overnight carefully). On a lightly floured surface, roll out to an 11×14 inch rectangle.
  10. Prepare for Baking: Place rolled pastry on an inverted jelly roll pan or two half sheet pans so it overhangs the edges. Dock the pastry evenly about every inch with a fork to prevent excessive rising. Freeze until rock hard.
  11. Preheat Oven and Bake: Preheat oven to 400°F with rack on the lowest position. Cover frozen pastry with parchment paper and place another pan on top to weigh it down. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove top pan and parchment paper and continue baking about 15 minutes until golden brown and baked through. If needed, bake an additional 5 minutes.
  12. Cool and Trim Pastry: Let pastry cool completely. Trim edges to create a flat rectangle and cut lengthwise into strips about 3 inches wide.
  13. Make Mock Fondant: Combine powdered sugar, corn syrup, and 2 tablespoons milk in a bowl. Stir with a spoon until very thick but pourable. Thin with additional milk as needed.
  14. Glaze Pastry: Reserve 1/4 cup fondant. Spread the remainder evenly over one strip of pastry.
  15. Prepare Cocoa Decoration: Add cocoa powder to reserved fondant and thin with milk to a piping consistency (about ½ teaspoon milk at a time).
  16. Pipe Chevron Pattern: Fit a pastry bag with a medium writing tip, pipe parallel lines across the fondant strip. Use a toothpick to drag lines in alternating vertical directions between piped lines to form the traditional chevron design. Let dry 20-30 minutes.
  17. Assemble Mille-Feuille: Fill pastry bag fitted with ½ inch plain tip with diplomat cream. Pipe half the cream evenly onto each of the two remaining pastry strips. Stack one cream-coated strip on top of the other, then place the fondant-covered strip on top.
  18. Chill or Freeze: Refrigerate assembled dessert for a few hours to keep pastry crisp, or overnight for softer pastry. Alternatively, freeze wrapped tightly with plastic wrap on top and foil on sides for up to one month. Thaw in refrigerator overnight before serving.
  19. Cut and Serve: Use a serrated knife to cut the Mille-Feuille into 1 ½ inch slices using a gentle sawing motion to avoid squishing the filling. Cutting while partially frozen yields best results. Expect the delicate filling to squish out slightly when eaten, but it is delicious and well worth it.

Notes

  • Docking the pastry is essential to prevent uneven rising and ensure even baking.
  • Use gelatin to stabilize the pastry cream, especially if making ahead or freezing.
  • Be gentle when folding whipped cream into pastry cream to maintain lightness.
  • Freezing the assembled dessert helps maintain the fondant topping integrity during slicing.
  • Cutting with a serrated knife and sawing motion preserves the layered structure and prevents squishing.
  • Allow fondant to dry thoroughly before assembly for best decorative results.
  • Thaw pastry carefully to avoid it becoming too soft to handle.

Keywords: Mille-Feuille, Napoleon, French pastry, puff pastry dessert, pastry cream, diplomat cream, layered dessert, mock fondant, classic French dessert

Find it online: https://thefoodrecipe.com/mille-feuille-napoleon-pastry-recipe/