A CLASSIC TWIST
Tuiles step in for puff pastry in a modern, fun and tasty take
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MILLE-TUILE
Start this recipe a day ahead.
My little twist on the classic mille-feuille is a little bit easier, fun, tasty and modern. Instead of spending the whole day making puff pastry, I've used tuiles. Of course, they're not as fine and flaky as puff pastry, and they do contain more sugar, so I've dialled down the sweetness by using brown sugar and reducing the amount used.
Ingredient Salted vanilla whipped ganache
1/2 gelatine sheet (titanium grade)
385ml thickened (whipping) cream
5g salt
Seeds of 1 vanilla bean 100g white chocolate
Dark brown sugar tuile
65g unsalted butter 115g dark brown sugar 2g salt
65g plain (all-purpose) flour 85g egg whites
Vanilla salted caramel
155g liquid glucose 200ml single (pure) cream 50ml full-cream milk
5g salt
Seeds of 1 vanilla bean 95g white (granulated) sugar 70g unsalted butter
Method Salted vanilla whipped ganache
cream into a saucepan, add the salt and vanilla seeds and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
Put the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl, pour in the hot cream and stir until melted. Squeeze the excess water from the softened gelatine, add it to the cream mixture and stir until dissolved and well combined. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve, then allow it to cool to room temperature. Stir in the remaining 220ml of cream. Pour the ganache into an airtight container and refrigerate overnight.
Transfer the ganache to a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk until the mixture is very smooth and has formed medium peaks. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 1cm round nozzle and place in the fridge until needed.
Dark brown sugar tuile
Preheat the oven to 170C. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or baking paper.
Put the butter, brown sugar and salt in a saucepan and stir over medium heat until melted and combined. Whisk in the flour, then whisk in the egg whites and mix until a smooth paste is formed. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes or until cool.
Spread the tuile mixture evenly over the baking sheet. Bake for seven to eight minutes or until the surface darkens slightly. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Break the cooled tuile into pieces about 10cm (4 inches) wide and 7cm (23⁄4 inches) high. Working gently, trim the straightest of the long sides of each tuile to create a flat base that will help the mille-tuile stand upright. Set aside until needed or store in an airtight container.
Vanilla salted caramel
Combine 50g of the glucose with the cream, milk, salt and vanilla seeds in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, combine the sugar with the remaining 105g of glucose in a saucepan and cook over medium–high heat, stirring occasionally, until the caramel turns a deep amber and reaches 182C on a sugar thermometer. If the caramel begins to smoke, reduce the heat to low.
Slowly whisk the hot cream mixture into the caramel and bring the mixture to the boil. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool until the mixture reaches 60C, then whisk in the butter.
Strain the caramel, then transfer it to a piping bag.
Assembly
Place a tuile on a flat surface and pipe three straight lines of the whipped ganache, leaving a 5mm (1⁄4 inch) gap in between the lines as shown below. Pipe the caramel in the gaps between the ganache lines. Place another tuile on top and repeat the piping and layering twice more, ensuring each layer is aligned. Repeat with the remaining tuiles. Serve immediately. — Serves 4 Note: You can do more than three layers if you like – do as many as you want!