Matcha tea mille-feuille

Makes 6 to 8 mille-feuilles

Preparation : 1 hour / Cooking : 45 minutes / Rest minimum 4 hours

FOR PUFF PASTRY: 

• 420g of T55 flour
• 136 g of butter
• 170 ml of water + 16 g of salt

FOR THE TOPPING: 

• 500 g of mascarpone
• 250g of pastry cream
• 16 g of gelatin (8 sheets)

• 500 ml of milk
• 80 g de sucre
• 100g of egg yolks (approximately 3 eggs)
• 50 g of cream powder

FOR THE FINISHING TOUCH

• Icing sugar
• Tea matcha

Make the puff pastry Start by making the kneaded butter. Mix the flour and butter. Roll out the kneaded butter into a 1 cm thick rectangle using a rolling pin. Wrap it in cling film and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Prepare the tempera Arrange the flour in a well on your work surface. Cut the butter into thin sticks. Gradually add it to the flour, working it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Gradually add the salted water until the dough forms a ball. Do not overwork the dough. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Roll out the dough to the same dimensions as the butter. Layer them, dough on top, and press them together with a rolling pin to seal. Roll out until it is four times the original width. Fold both edges towards the center, like a letter, then fold two more edges in the same direction. Wrap in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Rotate the dough 90 degrees and roll it out again to four times its original width. Fold it as before and let it rest in the refrigerator for one hour.

Repeat the process once more. Refrigerate.

Prepare the filling Start by preparing the pastry cream. Bring the milk and half the sugar to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from the heat as soon as it boils. Whisk the egg yolks, the remaining sugar, and the custard powder together until pale and creamy. Once the mixture is smooth and homogeneous, gradually whisk in half the sweetened milk to loosen it, being careful not to create foam.
Transfer this mixture to the saucepan containing the remaining sweetened milk and cook over low heat, whisking constantly and scraping the bottom and sides of the pan as the cream tends to stick easily! Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the cream thickens slightly. Transfer to a cold container and cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Whisk the pastry cream in a bowl and add the mascarpone. Soften the gelatin in water.
Prepare the tea custard matchaSqueeze the excess water from the gelatin and stir it into the still-warm cream before passing the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve. Fold the crème anglaise into the custard, mixing well. Whisk the mixture until it forms stiff peaks when the whisk is lifted.
Keep refrigerated.

Bake the dough Preheat the oven to 180°C (gas mark 6).

Roll out the dough to a thickness of 2 mm. Place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place four 1 cm high objects (such as mini tartlet molds) at the four corners of the baking sheet. Place another sheet of parchment paper and a second baking sheet on top (this helps control the height of the puff pastry). Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 165°C (325°F) and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove the top baking sheet and the parchment paper from the top and bake for a further 5 minutes until golden brown.

Turn off the bottom element of the oven. Sprinkle the pastry with icing sugar and bake for about 3 minutes (until the sugar has melted). Immediately cut the baked pastry into 12 x 3 cm rectangles. Allow 3 rectangles of pastry per mille-feuille. Do not let it cool completely as it becomes crumbly.

Using a piping bag, pipe the cream onto the first rectangle of puff pastry. Place the second rectangle on top and repeat the process. Finish with the third rectangle. Decorate with tea. matcha. 

 

Advice If you're using store-bought puff pastry, roll it out and bake it according to the package instructions, then cut it as soon as it comes out of the oven to the dimensions indicated in the recipe. If you wait for it to cool, it will break under the knife!

You can replace the custard powder with cornstarch for the pastry cream. In this case, slightly increase the amount of egg yolks.