Mille-Feuille with Strawberries and Vanilla Cream

Directions

Vanilla Pastry Cream

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, granulated sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, then remove from the heat.

2. In a bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and egg yolks. Temper the eggs by adding about 1/4 cup of the warm milk mixture and whisking to combine. Add the egg mixture to the pan and whisk to combine.

3. Heat the pan over medium-low heat until it begins to thicken. Cook, stirring constantly with a spatula, until the mixture is the consistency of batter, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in the butter until combined. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Transfer to a shallow dish and press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface. Place in the refrigerator to cool completely, at least 1 hour.

Mille-Feuille

1. Roll out the puff pastry on a floured surface so that it is a roughly 11-by-16-inch rectangle. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, trim off any uneven edges so that it is a perfect 10-by-15-inch rectangle. Slice the pastry into 12 approximately 2 1/2-by-5-inch rectangles. Place them on a lined baking sheet. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

3. Brush the tops of the puff pastry rectangles with the butter and sprinkle with the granulated sugar. Cover with a sheet of parchment paper and another baking sheet on top so the puff pastry is sandwiched in between. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes. Remove the top baking sheet and parchment and let cool to room temperature.

Assembly

1. Spoon a small dollop of the pastry cream onto each plate, Place one layer of puff pastry onto the cream dollop, then top with a layer of cream. Nestle about 6 strawberries in the pastry cream in rows and top them with a dollop more of pastry cream. Repeat the layers once more and top with a final layer of pastry. Drizzle the pastry with vanilla bean simple syrup.