I can just about pronounce millefeuille. It’s a classic French dessert, literally “a thousand layers” of pastry, custard and, in this case, pears and hazelnuts. It’s surprisingly straightforward to make the separate elements ahead and assemble just before you eat. For ease, I always use ready-made puff pastry; a dusting of icing sugar before baking gives it a lovely caramelised crunch, and each layer of rich, golden custard is sprinkled with praline and cooked pears. So good it’s worth learning to pronounce.
Pear and praline millefeuille
Prep 30 min
Cool 2 hr
Cook 30 min
Makes 4
1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry
1 tbsp icing sugar, plus more to serve
For the custard
4 egg yolks
60g caster sugar
30g cornflour
320ml milk
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
100ml double cream
For the praline
60g hazelnuts
120g caster sugar
For the pear
1 ripe pear, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
2 tbsp caster sugar
¼ tsp ground ginger
A squeeze of lemon
For the custard, put the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour in a large bowl and whisk smooth. Gently heat the milk and vanilla in a saucepan until steaming but not boiling. Pour a quarter of the hot milk onto the egg mix, whisk to combine, then slowly add the rest of the milk, whisking continuously. Pour everything back into the saucepan and heat gently, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens. Spoon it into a clean bowl and cover the surface with clingfilm – this will prevent a skin forming. Cool to room temperature, then chill in the fridge for at least two hours.
Put the pear, sugar, ginger and lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook for six to eight minutes, until the pear has broken down and softened, then cool.
Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4. Put the hazelnuts on a lined tray, toast for eight to 10 minutes, then remove and set aside. Melt the sugar in a small saucepan until a deep amber colour. Carefully but quickly, pour the hot sugar on top of the hazelnuts, making sure as many of them are covered as possible, then leave to cool completely. Break the praline into pieces, then finely chop.
Unroll the puff pastry onto a lined oven tray. Dust with icing sugar and lay another sheet of baking paper on top. Cover with a second oven tray of the same size, then bake for 20 minutes. Remove the top tray and top sheet of baking paper, return to the oven and bake for eight to 10 minutes, until the pastry is well browned. Remove, leave to cool completely, then use a sharp, serrated knife to cut it into 12 even rectangles.
When you’re ready to assemble, lightly whip the double cream. Loosen the chilled custard with a whisk, then fold in the cream.
Put one pastry rectangle on a plate, pipe a layer of custard on top, spoon some pear mixture down the middle and top with a sprinkling of praline. Lay another pastry rectangle on top, repeat the custard piping, then top with a third piece of pastry.
Repeat to make three more millefeuilles, then dust all four portions generously with icing sugar and serve.
