Strawberry Millefeuille with Mint Cream [1×3 Ways]

For this last recipe in the [1×3 Ways] Puff Pastry series I was really craving something light and fresh and full of the gorgeous strawberries of the season. Élie has been eating these by the handful and we have to sneak some for ourselves when he isn’t looking! They are just the right amount of sweet and so, so juicy. To pair with that, I had to have something equally refreshing and simple: mint whipped cream sounded perfect. Layers and layers of mint cream and strawberries: Strawberry Millefeuille with Mint Cream.

Now, this is a really simple version of the beautiful classic millefeuille so don’t be afraid. You could easily make the pastry strips the day before and just stack up all the goodies just before serving. And to be honest, like all the recipes in this series, you can construct this any way you like! Make little individual tartlettes of the ingredients or just one large flat tart if you want it really laid-back. It’s really up to you. Either way, you really can’t go wrong with mint cream and fresh spring strawberries.

Strawberry Millefeuille with Mint Cream

serves 4

– 1 x 250g package of puff pastry (thawed if frozen)

– 2 tsp. sugar

– 1 c. heavy or whipping cream

– scant 1/4 c. mint simple syrup*

– 1 1/2 c. fresh strawberries, sliced

– small handful of fresh mint leaves

Preheat the oven to 210°C / 410°F with your baking pan turned upside down in it. Preheating the pan with the oven will give you a beautifully crisp crust and turning the pan upside down will make it easy to slide the finished pastry off onto a cutting board. This is the same technique I use for pizza; using a pizza stone if you have one would be fantastic as well.

Roll the pastry out on a piece of lightly floured parchment paper the size of your baking tray to a roughly 9″/23 cm by 12″/30 cm rectangle. Sprinkle the pastry with the sugar and lightly roll your rolling pin across to push the sugar into the top of the pastry. Gently prick all over the pastry with a fork. Slice across width-wise to create 4 equal sized strips (roughly 9″/23 cm by 3″/7.5 cm strips). Gently reposition them so there is a little space between each and transfer the parchment and pastry to your hot baking tray using a small cutting board slid underneath to help you support it. Bake until puffed and golden and the sugar has melted and turned glossy, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

To make the mint cream, whip the cream to stiff peaks using your preferred method (I like the blender but watch it like a hawk or you will end up with butter!). Adding it in two batches, gently fold the simple syrup through the whipped cream. Chill until needed.

To assemble, layer roughly 2 1/2 tbsp of mint cream on one of the pastry strips and top with 1/3 of the strawberry slices and a few small mint leaves scattered about. Place the next pastry strip gently on top and repeat the mint cream, strawberry, and mint applications. Repeat for a final layer then top with the fourth pastry strip. Serve immediately with the extra mint cream in a bowl on the table because can you ever have enough of that? Be sure to use your sharpest knife and lightest hand to serve.

* Mint Simple Syrup: Bring 1/2 c. water and 1/2 c. sugar to a boil with a handful of torn fresh mint leaves in a saucepan. Remove from heat and let infuse until the syrup has cooled. You can also use this on ice cream or mixed in sparkling water for a homemade soda.

See the previous recipes in this edition of [1×3 Ways] Puff Pastry here: Roasted Red Pepper and Tapenade Tart & Gravlax and Whipped Chive Mascarpone Tartlettes

xo,

A.

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Donut Peach Crisps or Saving Hopeless Fruit

Nectarines are what I dream about all year. In fact, before we even started dating, Romain and I forged one link in our bonding with our common love for our favorite fruit. And when the weather warms in the spring, while I’m happy to be patient about the seasonal march of produce, stone fruit are the one thing I start becoming very impatient for. Then when they come, well, I believe could eat them exclusively for every meal! All of which explains why I start to get a little panicky as their season fades.

I have a fruit guy, a seller at the marché, who isn’t a producteur (because they are hard to find for fruit here) but who sells very carefully chosen fruits and always from France during the season. I trust him and his fruit. For the past couple weeks, I’ve been asking him in a worried tone every Wednesday at his stand, “C’est bientôt fini pour les nectarines? Pour les abricots?” (Is it almost over for nectarines? For apricots?) “Ah, oui. Oui. C’est fini, la.” Yes, yes, it’s pretty much finished now. So in the panic of finding fewer and fewer of these lovely things at his stand each week, I buy them by the pound. Where as the lady in front of me will order 5 peaches, I will order 3 kilos (at 2.2 pounds the kilo). And we’re eating them, broiling them, roasting them, freezing them, turning them into jam. Because we’ll need just a little reminder now and then of their goodness to get us through the winter. Won’t we?

But here’s the thing, sometimes you don’t go to your trusted fruit seller. Or it is really just too late in the season. And you find yourself with a handful of fruits that will start to wrinkle before they will ever ripen. That’s where I found myself with four donut peaches last weekend. I wanted to save them (we can’t waste peaches now!) but eaten raw they would have been so disappointing. So I thought of Romain’s favorite dessert, cut the peaches in half, and mixed oats, butter, flour, and sugar with a pinch of lemon zest.

And here’s what you do with your stone fruit that won’t ripen: you make individual fruit crisps with them. Very simple, very fast, and so good that the Frenchman, who, despite having a favorite type of it, eats dessert so rarely that when he says yes to one I ask him if he is sure, well these are so good that he asked for more. In fact, I had to hide these two to photograph! That’s testimony, people. Try them.

Donut Peach Crumbles

makes 8 pieces, for 8 servings or 2 if you invite a Frenchman

ingredients

4 donut peaches

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup rolled oats

25g or 1 1/2 tbsp. chilled butter, cut into smallish pieces

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp fresh lemon zest

large pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

whipped cream (optional)

a handful of unsalted pistachios, roughly chopped (optional)

~

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Line a baking pan with parchment.
2. Cut the peaches in half across their width and, if they are easy to remove, remove pits. You can leave them in, and I did, just be sure to tell the recipient that there may be a pit in the center. Arrange the halves cut side up on the baking pan.
3. Place the rest of the ingredients into a mixing bowl and, either with your finger tips or a pastry cutter, combine until it creates large crumbly chunks and the ingredients are incorporated. Divide this mixture evenly over the tops of the halved peaches.
4. Bake in the oven until the tops are golden, about 30 minutes.
5. Serve warm or at room temperature topped with fluffy whipped cream and little gems of chopped pistachio.

Miam!*

xo,

A.

*”Yum!” in French. Isn’t it funny to translate sounds?