This desert brings together layers and layers of thin, crisp pastry by filling them with a creamy filling, with a hint of tart passion fruit, perfect for brightening up any day. Passion fruit is a small round tropical fruit, with a thick outer shell that hides crunchy edible seeds that are coated in a sweet, sour, fruity, bright yellow (sometimes orange) pulp. Simply cut off the round fruit in half and scrape the inside with a spoon to remove the seeds and pulp.
Ingredients
- 1 recipe Mirage Quick Puff Pastry
- 15 ml / 1 tbsp Milk
Pastry Cream:
- 375 ml / 1 1/2 cup Milk
- 1/3 cup Mirage margarine
- 135 g / 2/3 cup Sugar
- 80 g / 1/3 cup Flour
- 2 eggs
- 80 ml / 1/3 cup Passionfruit nectar or juice
- 2 Passion fruits, seeds reserved and skins discarded
- 250 ml / 1 cup 35% Whipping cream
- 50 g / 1/4 cup Icing sugar
Frosting:
- 250 g / 1 cup Icing sugar
- 15 ml / 1 tbsp Water
- 30 g / 1 square Chocolate
Directions
1. Line a 43 x 30-cm (17 x 12-inch) baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Roll out the puff pastry into a 3-mm (1/8-inch) thick 40 x 20-cm (16 x 8-inch) rectangle. Put the dough onto the baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes, allowing the dough to rest and shrink back slightly.
3. With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 400 °F(200 °C).
4. Prick entire surface of the dough with a fork to help prevent un-even rising. Brush with the milk and bake for about 15 minutes or until the entire surface is golden and the layers are no longer white.
5. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. While the layers are cooling prepare the pastry cream.
The Pastry Cream Filling:
1. In a small saucepan, gently heat the milk until it begins to simmer, then remove from the heat.
2. In a medium bowl combine the eggs and sugar, whisking until the mixture is light and fluffy.
3. Whisk in a little hot milk to the egg mixture, warming the eggs slowly. Continue adding the remaining milk, whisking until thoroughly combined.
4. Return the mixture back to the pot and heat over medium heat, constantly stirring with a rubber spatula, constantly scraping the bottom of the pot until it begins to bubble.
5. Remove from the heat once it begins to bubble. Strain the pastry cream into a bowl , stir in the passionfruit nectar and seeds, and place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the hot cream.
6. Refrigerate until completely chilled, about 3 hours.
7. In a bowl, whip the cream, and sugar on medium speed with an electric mixer.
8. Cover with plastic wrap, and keep cool until you’re ready to build.
The Frosting:
1. In a bowl, combine the icing sugar with the water and whisk together until smooth and all the sugar is dissolved.
2. Cover with plastic wrap until you’re ready to build.
Assembly:
1. Trim the baked and cooled puff pastry rectangle, then cut it widthwise into 3 wide, even strips.
2. Gently fold the whipped cream into the pastry cream in 3 stages, this allows the whipped cream to maintain it’s volume.
3. Cover the first dough strip with half of the whipped passionfruit filling and cover with a second strip of dough. Top with the remaining passionfruit filling, then cover with the last piece of puff pastry.
4. Cover the mille-feuille with plastic wrap and allow it rest in the fridge for 1 hour, allowing the dessert to set.
5. Remove the mille-feuille from the fridge and frost the top with the prepared frosting.
6. Melt the chocolate in the microwave. Pour the chocolate in a small cone-shaped parchment paper and cut the tip. Draw straight lines on the frosting, then run a knife in the opposite direction to form a marbled pattern.
7. Refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight, cut into individual portions and serve chilled.
Chef’s Notes
- Passionfruit nectar can usually be found in the juice section at the grocery store. If you can’t find it there, then try substituting it with mango or pineapple.
- Although this dessert seems like a lot of work, it can keep for up to a week in the fridge, and 3 weeks in the freezer.