French Mille-Feuille Dessert Recipe by Food Fusion

Here’s an elegant **French Mille-Feuille** recipe inspired by Food Fusion’s style, combining layers of crispy puff pastry with silky pastry cream and a beautiful icing on top. Perfect for a fancy dessert treat!

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### **Ingredients**

#### For the Puff Pastry:
- **Store-bought puff pastry sheets**: 3 sheets (thawed)
*(or make your own if desired)*

#### For Pastry Cream:
- **Milk**: 2 cups
- **Egg yolks**: 4 large
- **Sugar**: ½ cup
- **Cornstarch**: 3 tbsp
- **Vanilla extract**: 1 tsp
- **Butter**: 2 tbsp (optional, for extra richness)

#### For Icing:
- **Powdered sugar**: 1 cup
- **Milk or water**: 2-3 tbsp
- **Dark chocolate**: 50 g (melted, for decoration)

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### **Instructions**

#### Step 1: Prepare Puff Pastry
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
2. Roll out the puff pastry sheets to an even thickness.
3. Place the sheets on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Pierce the pastry all over with a fork to prevent it from puffing excessively.
4. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Let them cool completely.
5. Once cooled, trim the edges to create neat rectangles (approximately 10x4 inches). You’ll need three layers per Mille-Feuille.

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#### Step 2: Make Pastry Cream
1. Heat milk in a saucepan over medium heat until it begins to steam (do not boil).
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until smooth and pale.
3. Gradually pour the hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking continuously to temper the eggs.
4. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens into a custard.
5. Remove from heat, add vanilla extract and butter, and mix until smooth.
6. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap (touching the surface to prevent a skin from forming), and let it cool completely.

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#### Step 3: Prepare Icing
1. In a bowl, mix powdered sugar with milk (or water) until it forms a smooth, spreadable icing.
2. Melt the dark chocolate and transfer it to a piping bag for decoration.

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#### Step 4: Assemble the Mille-Feuille
1. Place one layer of baked puff pastry on a flat surface.
2. Spread a generous layer of pastry cream evenly over the puff pastry.
3. Top with another puff pastry sheet and repeat with more pastry cream.
4. Place the final layer of puff pastry on top.

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#### Step 5: Decorate the Top
1. Spread the white icing evenly over the top layer of pastry.
2. Pipe thin lines of melted chocolate across the icing.
3. Use a toothpick or skewer to drag through the lines, alternating directions, to create a feathered pattern.

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#### Step 6: Chill and Serve
1. Refrigerate the assembled Mille-Feuille for at least 1-2 hours to set.
2. Slice carefully with a sharp knife to ensure clean layers.
3. Serve and enjoy your beautifully layered French dessert!

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### **Tips for Perfect Mille-Feuille**
- **Cutting the Pastry**: Use a serrated knife to prevent the layers from crushing when slicing.
- **Consistency**: Ensure the pastry cream is thick enough to hold the layers together.
- **Presentation**: Clean the edges of the pastry after assembly for a polished look.

Enjoy this classic French dessert with its balance of crispness and creaminess! Let me know how it turns out. 😊