Mille Feuille Nabe Food

MILLE-FEUILLE WITH VANILLA PASTRY CREAM AND BOURBON SAUCE

Steps:

• For the pastry cream: In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, granulated sugar, salt and vanilla seeds and pod. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, then remove from the heat.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and egg yolks. Temper the eggs by adding about 1/4 cup of the warm milk mixture and whisking to combine. Add the egg mixture to the pan and whisk to thoroughly combine.
• Heat the pan over medium-low heat until it begins to thicken. Cook, stirring constantly with a spatula, until the mixture is the consistency of pancake batter, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and discard the vanilla bean pod. Whisk in the butter until combined. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Transfer to a shallow dish and press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface. Place in the refrigerator to cool completely, at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
• For the bourbon sauce: In a small saucepan, add the bourbon, granulated sugar and vanilla beans and pod. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Reduce the liquid by about half until thickened to a syrupy consistency, about 15 minutes. Remove and discard the vanilla bean pod; cool the syrup to room temperature.
• For the mille-feuille: Roll out the puff pastry on a floured surface so that it is a roughly 11-by-16-inch rectangle. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, trim off any uneven edges so that it is a perfect 10-by-15-inch rectangle. Slice the pastry into 12 approximately 2 1/2-by-5-inch rectangles. Place them on a lined baking sheet. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Brush the tops of the puff pastry rectangles with the butter and sprinkle with the granulated sugar. Cover with a sheet of parchment paper and another baking sheet on top so the puff pastry is sandwiched in between. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes. Remove the top baking sheet and parchment and let cool to room temperature.
• To assemble: Spoon a small dollop of the pastry cream onto each plate to act as a "glue" for the first layer of puff pastry. Place one layer of puff pastry onto the cream dollop, then top with a layer of cream. Nestle about 6 raspberries in the pastry cream in rows and top them with a dollop more of pastry cream. Repeat the layers once more and top with a final layer of pastry. Dust the pastry and plate liberally with confectioners' sugar and drizzle the plate around the pastry with the bourbon sauce.

MILLE-FEUILLE NABE

Steps:

• Lay a large cabbage leaf on a work surface, curve-side up, and cover with pork belly slices. If the slices are long, 2 slices should be enough. Don't worry about covering every bit of the cabbage (see Cook's Note).
• Lay another large cabbage leaf on top of the pork, curve-side up, and cover with pork belly slices. Repeat the process 4 more times to form 1 stack of 6 cabbage leaves layered with pork.
• Make more stacks of 6 leaves layered with pork until you've used up all the pork. If you run out of larger leaves, piece together smaller leaves of cabbage as needed and stack with the remaining pork. Reserve any remaining smaller pieces of cabbage in case they are needed to pack the center of the pot.
• Carefully cut each stack crosswise into 3 equal sections, gently holding the layers together as you cut.
• Working one section at a time, place the section cut-side up and bottom-side out against the side of a 10-inch-wide, 6-quart Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot. Place another section right next to the first in the same manner. Repeat, packing the sections tightly (see Cook's Note), until the circle is complete.
• Continue arranging the sections in the pot, packing them tightly, until full. Place the reserved smaller cabbage leaves in any empty spaces in the center, trimming them as needed.
• Whisk the dashi, soy sauce and salt in a large bowl until the salt dissolves and pour into the pot. Cover and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook until the pork belly is cooked through and the cabbage is just tender, skimming off any foam and impurities, 6 to 10 minutes. Gently stir in the sake if using.
• Pour 1/4 cup of ponzu sauce into 4 or 6 small bowls (depending on the number of diners) and top each one with the scallions. Serve the nabe in shallow bowls and sprinkle with shichimi togarashi if using. Alternatively, set the pot on the table and allow everyone to help themselves.
• Combine the kombu with 6 cups cold water in a medium saucepan and let steep for about 30 minutes. (Skip this step if you are short on time though it lend a deeper flavor.) Heat over medium heat until the water comes to a near boil, about 10 minutes. Discard the kombu.
• Sprinkle the katsuobushi evenly over the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Immediately remove from the heat and let steep without stirring for about 10 minutes.
• Pour the dashi through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl. Do not press down on the katsuobushi which can make the dashi cloudy and/or bitter.
• Dashi is best used the day it is made but can be cooled and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.