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A mille-feuille recipe featuring layers of flaky puff pastry, fresh pears and blackberries, and ginger infused pastry cream. Learn how to make a mille-feuille with this autumn inspired twist on the classic French pastry.
What is a Mille Feuille?
The mille-feuille (“a thousand sheets” or “a thousand leaves” in French) is a pâtisserie staple consisting of piped pastry cream (or whipped cream) and fresh fruit, layered between sheets of flaky puff pastry. You’ll often find these delicate desserts in the display case at a French bakery, and miniature versions frequently appear at afternoon tea.
Traditionally, a mille-feuille includes three layers of puff pastry, with two layers of cream and fruit in between. In some recipes, the top layer is glazed with icing; other recipes (like this one) dust the top of the pastry with confectioner’s sugar.
In its most traditional form, the mille feuille often features strawberries or raspberries. And at Le Cordon Bleu London, we learned to make a cake-style mille-feuille with layers of spiced poached pears, dark chocolate, praline crème mousseline, and caramel. In this version, I’ve used blackberries and pears for a seasonally appropriate twist.
The pastry cream found in a mille-feuille is the same type of cream used for filling éclairs or Boston cream donuts. I’ve infused mine with fresh ginger for a slightly spiced pastry cream which pairs perfectly with the fresh fruit for a sweet, flaky, creamy dessert which captures the flavors of fall in every messy bite.
Ingredients for Making a Blackberry Pear Mille-Feuille
To make this mille-feuille recipe, begin by gathering the following ingredients:
- Ginger – You’ll need about 75 grams, or 1/2 cup, of sliced fresh ginger to give the pastry cream its spicy kick.
- Whole Milk – Whole milk forms the base for the pastry cream. Do not substitute skimmed or plant milk—stick with whole milk for thick, smooth cream.
- Egg Yolks – Three large egg yolks help to thicken the cream. You won’t need the whites for this recipe—scramble them for breakfast, or make a batch of French macarons.
- Flour and Cornflour – Along with egg yolks, all purpose flour and cornflour (cornstarch) act as thickening agents.
- Vanilla Bean Paste – Or the scrapings of one vanilla pod. Vanilla extract will work in a pinch, but it really is worth breaking out the good stuff for this recipe!
- Granulated Sugar – To sweeten the pastry cream. See recipe for notes on dividing and adding the sugar.
- Puff Pastry – It’s totally fine to begin with store bought pastry. (I’ll let you in on a secret I learned at pastry school: even fancy bakeries and restaurants often use the pre-made stuff!) And if you’re starting with frozen pastry, be sure to thaw it according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Fresh Fruit – You’ll need two pears and about16 blackberries, plus more to garnish the finished pastries.
- Confectioner’s Sugar – A dusting of confectioner’s sugar (icing sugar) adds a pretty finishing touch.
How to Make a Mille-Feuille
To make this autumn-inspired mille-feuille, begin by making the ginger-infused pastry cream. It’s best to do this first because you’ll need to allow about 30 minutes for the ginger to steep in the milk, plus some additional time for the finished pastry cream to chill before it’s ready to use. (If desired, you can prepare the pastry cream up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerate it until you’re ready to assemble your mille-feuilles.) Please visit my post with step-by-step instructions and helpful hints on how to make pastry cream.
This recipe employs a slightly unusual baking technique—applying weight to the puff pastry by placing an extra tray on top before popping it into the oven to bake. If you’ve never made a mille-feuille before, I’ve included a few tips and tricks below, as well as step-by-step process photos in the recipe card.
Allow the puff pastry to cool completely, then slice it into rectangles with a very sharp knife, applying gentle pressure to avoid crushing the flaky pastry. Assemble each mille-feuille by layering pieces of fresh fruit and piped dollops of pastry cream between the pastry rectangles. Finish with a dusting of confectioner’s sugar, plus a few blackberries and a sprig of fresh basil or mint to garnish.
Weighing Down the Pastry
Weighing down the pastry prevents it from puffing too much as it bakes. While you want lots of puffing for, say, an apple galette or a batch of anchovy sticks, overly puffy pastry is less desirable when making a mille-feuille. Too much puffing makes it difficult to evenly stack the layers of pastry, fruit, and cream, which could cause your pastries to topple.
To weigh down the pastry, position the sheet of unbaked puff pastry on a parchment-lined tray. Top it with a second sheet of parchment, then add a second baking tray on top. (If possible, it’s easiest to use two identical trays for this step.) After baking the pastry for about 20 minutes, remove the top tray and the top layer of parchment and bake for 5 minutes more, or until the puff pastry is deeply golden brown:
Sit the tray on a wire rack and allow the pastry to cool completely before proceeding to the slicing and assembly steps.
Mille-Feuille Tips and Tricks
- If your blackberries are not uniform in size, use a sharp knife to slice the bottoms so they’re even. Similarly-sized berries will make stacking the layers of the mille-feuille so much easier.
- In this version I’ve piped two layers of pastry cream, alternating with fresh fruit. If you want extra-large dollops of pastry cream, or would like to add a third layer to the mille-feuille, I suggest making an extra half-batch of cream.
- If you are using frozen (rather than refrigerated) puff pastry, thaw the pastry according to the manufacturer’s directions before getting started on the weighted baking step.
- Keep a close eye on the oven while baking the puff pastry. Don’t let the pastry burn!
How to Enjoy Mille-Feuille Pastry
Eating and serving a mille-feuille can require a little bit of finesse due to the delicate balance of flaky pastry layers, gooey pastry cream, and juicy fresh fruit. Although it’s a little bit messy, this layered pastry should be eaten with a fork and knife. And don’t worry if the pastry cream spills and oozes as you bite into it—it’s all part of the fun!
If desired, you can refrigerate the assembled pastries for about 30 minutes prior to serving to firm up the pastry cream and make the pastries easier to eat.
Make Ahead and Storage Suggestions
Mille-feuille isn’t really a make-ahead dessert—this one is definitely best enjoyed on the day it is made. However, you can make the ginger-infused pastry cream up to 24 hours in advance, and refrigerate until ready to use. (Keep the pastry cream covered with clingfilm/plastic wrap to prevent a tough skin from forming on top.) Use a whisk to “knock back” the pastry cream before transferring it to the piping bag.
Puff pastry loses its crispy, flaky texture if stored overnight. For this reason, I recommend baking the pastry on the day you plan to enjoy your mille-feuilles.
Other French pastry recipes you might enjoy:
French Macarons
Choux Buns
Chaussons Aux Pommes
Brown Sugar Palmiers
And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
Print
Blackberry Pear Mille Feuille
- Total Time: 2 1/2 - 3 hours
- Yield: 4 4-inch mille feuilles 1x
Ingredients
Pastry cream:
75 grams fresh ginger, sliced into 1/4-inch pieces (about 1/2 cup sliced ginger)
240 milliliters whole milk (1 cup), plus more for topping up
60 grams egg yolk (about 3 large yolks)
15 grams all purpose flour (1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon)
15 grams cornflour/cornstarch (1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
50 grams granulated sugar (1/4 cup), divided
Assembly:
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed according to package directions if frozen
16 blackberries, plus more to garnish
2 pears, cored and thinly sliced
Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting
Instructions
Pastry cream:
Line a quarter-sheet tray with a silicone mat. Set aside.
Add the ginger and milk to a small saucepan. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the ginger to steep in the cream for 30 minutes.
Remove and discard the ginger. Re-weigh infused cream. If necessary, add additional cream to “top up” to 240 milliliters (1 cup).
Return to saucepan and whisk in half of the sugar. Warm mixture over medium heat until steaming. (Do not boil).
Meanwhile, whisk together egg yolks, flour, cornflour, vanilla bean paste, and remaining sugar in a large bowl.
Pour the hot milk gradually into the egg mixture in a thin stream, whisking well after each addition. Be careful not to pour too quickly or add all of the milk at once.
Next, pour the entire mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring continuously with a whisk or spatula. Mixture will begin to thicken as it cooks.
Once thickened, bring pastry cream to a low boil. Boil for 1-2 minutes, stirring continuously. Remove from heat.
With a clean spatula, transfer pastry cream to prepared tray, and spread evenly over the surface.
Wait until the pastry cream stops steaming, then cover with clingfilm/plastic wrap. Use your hands to “pat down” the film. (Make sure the plastic directly touches the pastry cream—this prevents a rubbery “skin” from forming on top.)
Allow pastry cream to cool to room temperature, then transfer to the refrigerator until ready to use.
Pastry:
Preheat oven to 400° F / 205° C. Line a 12 x 14-inch baking tray with parchment.
On a silicone rolling mat, use a rolling pin to roll the pastry to 1/8-inch thickness. Trim edges to form a 10 x 13-inch rectangle.
Lift the rolling mat and flip the pastry onto the prepared tray.
Top with a second sheet of parchment, then add a second baking tray on top.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove top tray and parchment and bake for 5 minutes more, or until deeply golden brown. (Keep a close eye on the oven—don’t let the pastry burn!)
Sit tray on a wire rack and allow pastry to cool completely before assembling the mille feuille.
Assembly:
Remove clingfilm/plastic wrap and scrape pastry cream into a clean mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on high speed for 30-60 seconds, or until smooth and creamy.
Transfer to a piping bag fitted with 1/2-inch round tip.
Place pastry on a chopping board. With a sharp chef’s knife, slice pastry into 12 rectangles, each about 2 x 4 1/2 inches in size.
Pipe four of the rectangles with dollops of pastry cream, alternating with sliced pears.
Place a second rectangle of puff pastry on top.
Pipe with remaining pastry cream, alternating with the blackberries.
Top with remaining puff pastry rectangles.
Finish with a dusting of confectioner’s sugar.
Garnish with additional berries, fresh herbs, or a dollop of whipped cream. Serve immediately.
- Prep Time: 1 1/2 hours
- Infusion Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: French Pastry
- Method: Oven + Stovetop
