Spiced maple mille feuille with apple-basil salsa
Makes 4 mille feuilles
Puff pastry
260g all-purpose flour
150ml ice water
200g cold butter
Icing sugar
Quickly mix together flour and ice water until a shaggy dough, wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes.
Beat the butter block with a rolling pin to a pliable 10x10cm rectangle. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 10 minutes.
Roll out the dough to an 18x18cm square on a lightly floured workbench. Place the butter in the center of the dough and fold the corners of the dough over the butter, so they meet in the middle. Pinch to thoroughly seal the dough around the butter. Flip the dough, so the seal faces downwards and roll out to a 30x15cm rectangle. Make a letter fold, turn 45 degrees and roll out again to a 30x15cm rectangle. Make another letter fold and wrap lightly in clingfilm, rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Repeat this process three more time for a total of 6 turns. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill for at least a few hours, preferably overnight.
Preheat oven to 200C. Roll out dough to 4-5mm thickness. Using a 10cm oval cutter, cut out 12 pastry leaves and place at least 3cm apart on a baking tray lined with parchment. Place a piece of parchment on top and another baking tray on top of the parchment. Bake for 15 minutes, rotating the pan halfway.
Remove top baking tray and parchment, dust with icing sugar and bake for another 3-5 minutes, until icing sugar is melted and caramelised.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack. 2 cups milk (480ml)
Spiced maple creme mousseline
450ml whole milk
4 egg yolks
90g maple syrup
4 Tbsp. corn starch
1/2 habanero
A pinch of salt
150g softened, unsalted butter
Warm up the maple syrup, add the habanero and infuse for 5 minutes. Remove the chili and leave the maple syrup to cool to room temperature.
Whisk together maple syrup, salt, egg yolks and corn starch, set aside.
Bring milk to just below boiling and pour over 1/4 of the milk. Pour the mixture back into the pot and bring to a boil while whisking constantly. Cook for a few minutes while whisking rigorously, remove from heat and whisk in 75g of butter. Cover with clingfilm and leave to cool to room temperature.
Add the remaining butter and whisk until smooth and very creamy. Season to taste. Transfer to a piping bag with a 1cm nozzle.
Apple basil salsa
2 green apples, peeled and diced
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
2 tsp. lime juice
1 Tbsp. finely chopped basil leaves
Pinch of salt
Mix everything together, season to taste. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Pipe spiced maple mousseline on 4 pastry leaves. Spoon apple salsa on top of the mousseline in the centre of the leaves and top with another layer of pastry. Repeat with mousseline and apple salsa. Dust the remaining four pastry leaves with icing sugar and place on top of the mille feuilles.
Serve.