Mille feuille

Time: 2 ½ - 3 hours
Serves: 8
Tools: Dough hook bowl tool/ Whisk bowl tool/ 2 baking trays (large, one slightly smaller than other)

METHOD:

1. To make the puff pastry, fit the dough hook bowl tool to the CHEF XL Titanium and combine the flour and salt in the mixing bowl on a low speed.
2. Whilst the dough hook is turning, pour water in a bit at a time so that the dough starts to come together.  Add 120g of butter, a few cubes at a time and turn the speed up until all is incorporated and then turn up to a higher speed for 3-5 minutes. Knead the dough until there is no trace of the butter and it becomes smooth, soft and elastic. Wrap in cling film and chill in refrigerator for an hour.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to a rectangle shape, about 3mm / 1/8in in thickness.
4. Dot 230g of cubed butter over the top two-thirds of the dough, then fold the unbuttered side over the buttered side. Fold the dough over again so the butter is completely enclosed in the layers of dough, then turn the dough over. Roll over the edges of the dough with the rolling pin to seal.  Wrap in cling film and chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
5. Lightly re-flour the surface. Repeat the rolling and folding process of Step 4, but without the butter.  Seal, wrap and chill for 15 minutes.
6. Repeat Step 5 three more times, chilling the dough for 15 minutes between each turn.  The dough is now ready to use.
7. Remove the dough hook from the CHEF XL Titanium and replace with the whisk bowl tool. Add the egg yolks and sugar to the mixing bowl and whisk until pale and thick. With the in-bowl light on you will be able to check the colour and consistency.
8. Whisk in the flour and cornflour. Scrape the sides of the bowl if the ingredients are catching.
9. Next, place the milk and vanilla paste in a heavy bottomed pan.  Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and carefully pour half of the milk into a jug.  Slowly pour this jug into the egg mixture whilst the whisk is turning on low speed.  
10.  Now remove the mixing bowl and pour the contents into the saucepan with the remaining milk.  Bring the mixture back to the boil and simmer, stirring continuously as the crème thickens and the cornflour is cooked through. Once the mixture is at its thickest consistency, add the butter and stir through until melted.  
11. Transfer to a clean bowl, lie a sheet of parchment paper inside the bowl and on top of the crème to prevent a skin forming. Put in the refrigerator to cool completely and use when needed.
12. Pre heat oven to 180°C / 350°F /Gas 4
13. Bring the puff pastry out of the refrigerator and roll out onto a lightly floured surface.  Roll the pastry to 2mm thickness and cut out 24 rectangles, 5cm x 10cm, and place on the larger lined baking tray, ensuring the rectangles are not touching.  Put tray in refrigerator to chill for 15 mins. 
14. Once chilled, prick pastry all over with a fork.  Lay a sheet of parchment paper on top of the rectangles and place the second smaller baking tray on top of the paper.  Bake for 15-20 mins, remove the top tray and paper and bake for a further 10 mins until the puff pastry is golden.  Leave to completely cool.
15. Put the crème patisserie in a piping bag with a small nozzle.  Each Mille Feuille will have 3 layers of puff pastry.  On the bottom layer pipe 8 spots of the crème and place 6 small raspberries in between crème.  Repeat this with the second layer of pastry and place it on top of first layer. Should you find that the second layer is not stable, squeeze a small amount of crème onto the raspberries to act as a glue. 
16. Pipe 5 spots of crème onto the top layer of pastry and place 3 raspberries on alternative spots of crème.  Repeat until 8 Mille Feuille are made. Lightly dust with icing sugar and serve.