Show-stopping festive dessert: Christmas mille-feuille

serves / 8 prep / 6 hours 20 minutes cook / 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

2 sheets frozen puff pastry, just thawed 300ml ctn double cream

1⁄2 large mango, peeled, thinly sliced 125g frozen blackberries Unsprayed edible flowers, sugared (optional), to serve Baby herbs, to decorate 1 passionfruit, halved Icing sugar, to dust

LIME CREME PATISSIERE:

625ml (2 1⁄2 cups) milk 6 egg yolks 140g (2⁄3 cup) caster sugar 50g (1⁄3 cup) cornflour 2 tsp finely grated lime rind 35g butter

1. For the creme, bring milk to a simmer (do not boil) in a saucepan over medium heat. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly.

2. Meanwhile, use a balloon whisk to whisk egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until well combined. Whisk in cornflour. Gradually whisk in warm milk and rind. Return to saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, for 5-8 minutes or until boiling and thickened. Transfer to a heatproof bowl. Stir in butter. Cover surface with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for 6 hours to chill and thicken.

3. Preheat oven to 200C/180C fan-forced. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Place 1 sheet of pastry on prepared tray. Top with another sheet of baking paper and another baking tray. Bake for 20 minutes. Turn trays over. Bake for 5-10 minutes or until pastry is crisp and golden. Set aside for 30 minutes to cool completely. Repeat with remaining pastry.

4. Trim edges of pastry. Cut pastry in half lengthways to make 4 rectangles. Place 1 piece of pastry on a platter. Spoon creme into a piping bag with a 1cm fluted nozzle. Pipe rosettes on to pastry sheet to cover in a single layer. Repeat layers with remaining pastry and creme, finishing with pastry. 5. Use a balloon whisk to whisk cream in a bowl until soft peaks form. Top the pastry stack with cream, mango, blackberries, flowers and herbs. Drizzle with passionfruit pulp. Dust with icing sugar.

TIP:

The tart berries and tangy passionfruit perfectly balance the buttery pastry layers and rich custard filling.