18 Sep Raspberry Mille Feuille with Yoghurt Mousse

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Mille feuille literally means “a thousand leaves” and refers to all the paper-thin layers formed by the puff pastry in this classic French dessert. Although it may look intimidating, a mille feuille is actually not difficult to make. Nine times out of ten I will use shop-bought puff pastry, but when I have a bit of time on my hands, I find making my own really rewarding! So I have included both options here for you. 
Rough puff pastry is very similar to puff pastry in flavour and texture, but instead of using slabs of butter when folding, grated butter is used which makes the process a lot easier. It may seem counter-intuitive to weigh the pastry down when baking, but this keeps the pastry rectangles nice and thin whilst still being deliciously crispy with plenty of layers. Traditionally, a mille feuille will have a filling of creme patisserie, but I have made a light yoghurt mousse using Nutriday Double Cream Plain Yoghurt. Using yoghurt means the mousse is still creamy and decadent, but not as rich or sweet as a traditional filling. Not only does this dessert look absolutely stunning, but the contrast of the crispy pastry layers, creamy mousse and tart raspberries is simply heaven in every bite!
NOTE: You can also serve 1 large mille feuille by dividing your pastry into 3 large rectangles of 30 x 10cm.

Ingredients:

(serves 6)

For the rough puff pastry:
350g flour (2½ cups)
5ml salt (1 tsp)
50g unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
150ml iced water (½ cup)
5ml lemon juice (1 tsp)
200g unsalted butter, grated and frozen (divided)
(OR 600g ready-made puff pastry, defrosted)

For the yoghurt mousse:
250ml Nutriday Double Cream Plain Yoghurt (1 cup)
150g white chocolate, roughly chopped
5ml powdered gelatine (1 tsp)
30ml water (2 tbsp)
250ml whipping cream (1 cup)

To decorate:
200g fresh raspberries
30ml icing sugar (2 tbsp)
a few springs of mint

Directions:

• To make the pastry, add the flour to a large bowl together with the salt. Add the 50g of cubed butter and use your fingertips to rub it into the flour until you have a breadcrumb texture.
• Stir the lemon juice into the iced water and add gradually to the flour mixture, using a butter knife to mix. Add only enough water for the dough to come together and do not overwork the mixture. Cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a rectangle shape, about 30cm x 15cm. Add half of the grated, frozen butter (100g) to the lower two-thirds of the rectangle. Fold the top third down and then the bottom third up over it (like folding a letter). Turn the dough once to the right (90 degrees) so that the shortest side of the rectangle is now closest to you.
• Roll the dough out to 30cm x 15cm rectangle again. Add the remaining 100g of grated, frozen butter to the lower two-thirds. Repeat the folding as before: fold the top third of the dough down, then the bottom third up. Turn the dough once to the right. You have now completed two “turns”. If the dough is getting warm you may need to refrigerate it for 30 minutes before continuing.
• Again roll the dough into a rectangle and repeat the folding as before (this time without adding any butter). Turn the dough once to the right and repeat the rolling and folding so that you have completed four “turns” – two with butter and two without. Refrigerate the dough for at least 4 hours or overnight (max 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months) before using.
• To make the yoghurt mousse, place the white chocolate into a large bowl and add half the yoghurt. Melt the mixture gently (either over a pan of simmering water or at 20-second intervals in the microwave). Stir until completely smooth.
• Sprinkle the gelatine over the water in a small bowl and leave to bloom for 5 minutes. Gently melt the mixture by dipping in a hot water bath or by heating for 5-10 seconds in the microwave. Don’t allow it to boil. Stir the gelatine into the still-warm melted chocolate and stir until smooth. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
• Whip the cream until you have soft peaks and gently fold into the chocolate along with the remaining yoghurt. Once there are no more streaks cover the mixture with clingfilm and chill for at least 2 hours. Place into a piping bag fitted with a plain round nozzle.
• Preheat the oven to 200°C. Divide the pastry in half. Roll the first block into a 30 x 15cm rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 9 equal rectangles, each 10cm x 5 cm (try not to drag your knife through the pastry, but rather press down firmly to cut). Transfer to a lined baking tray and dock each rectangle a few times with a fork. Cover with another sheet of baking paper and a second baking tray (this is to weigh the pastry down so that it doesn’t puff up too much). Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the top baking tray and bake for a further 5 -7 minutes until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes on the tray then cool completely on a wire cooling rack. Repeat with the second block of dough so that you have 18 rectangles in total.
• To assemble the mille feuille, pipe two rows of yoghurt mousse kisses onto 12 of the rectangles. Stack two on top of each other and top with a third, plain rectangle of pastry. Top each mille feuille with raspberries, dust with icing sugar and garnish with mint. Best served within a few hours of assembling.