Poached Apple Mille Feuilles
Prep time: 1h
Cook time: 50 minutes
Yields: 4 mille feuilles
Author: Ireland Lindsay
Ingredients:
For the poached apples:
5 gala apples, peeled, cored, and cut into cubes
1 cup water, more as needed
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the caramel:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons water
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extra
1/4 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
For the chantilly:
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste, vanilla extract, or one vanilla pod
For the puff pastry:
One 1.1lbs (490g) pack of store-bought puff pastry
FOR THE POACHED APPLES:
PREPARE the apples by peeling, coring, and cutting them into bite-sized cubes. Into a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, combine the water, granulated sugar, and aromatics. Cook until the sugar is dissolved, and it reaches a simmer. Add in the prepared apples and cook for 5-10 minutes or until the apples are tender, and a fork inserted into the center has minimal resistance.
DRAIN the apples, reserving the liquid*, and cover and refrigerate until ready to assemble. These apples can be made up to one day ahead of time.
* The reserved liquid is essentially spice-infused simple syrup. You can use this for several things, from a coffee sweetener to cocktails!
FOR THE PUFF PASTRY:
OK OK OK, really quick. You can absolutely make puff pastry yourself, in fact, it will make this dish 10x better, for the sake of simplicity this recipe is shown with store-bought puff pastry.
PREHEAT oven to 350°F and prepare an 11x16 inch baking sheet with parchment paper.
TO prepare the puff pastry, bring it out 10-15 minutes before you roll it out. Once slightly warmed, unwrap and roll out slightly to flatten the pastry square, you should have 2 squares of pastry. Place onto prepared baking sheet cutting off any excess pastry and place another 11x16 baking sheet directly atop of the pastry. Using a cast-iron skillet, weigh down the baking sheets and place them into the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until golden.
HALFWAY through the bake, remove the top baking sheet, and rotate in the oven to allow even baking. Place the baking sheet and cast-iron skillet back onto the pastry for the last 5 minutes in the oven. Remove from oven and let it cool completely with the baking sheet and skillet on.
FOR THE CARAMEL:
COMBINE sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan swirl to disperse water evenly. Cook over medium heat stirring occasionally. You will notice the color of the mixture turn from white, to clear then begin to take on a golden color if it is browning unevenly- don’t fret. Continue swirling the pan so that it cooks evenly.
ONCE you’ve achieved a deep golden color, turn off the heat and add in unsalted butter, heavy cream, vanilla, and salt. Mix until well-combined. Let cool slightly.
FOR THE CHANTILLY:
Make just before assembly.
FOR the Chantilly, combine the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract into the bowl of a stand mixer. Whip until soft peaks form, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with an Ateco # 882 - St Honore pastry tip.
TO ASSEMBLE:
ONCE the pastry has cooled, using one of the sheets slice long ways into 3 even strips (if using store-bought pastry, along the perforated edges), then short ways down the middle you should be left with 6 individual pieces.
STARTING with a layer of pastry, layer apples, caramel, more pastry, pipe Chantilly, more apples, caramel, then Chantilly, using a total of 3 pastry squares per mille-feuille. Repeat with the remaining components.
STORE unassembled, for up to 2 days in the refrigerator. Best eaten right after assembled.
Recipe by @IreBakes
