Pb And J Mille Feuille Food

BLACK AND WHITE MILLE-FEUILLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line an 18-by-13-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. Have another 18-by-13-inch baking sheet and piece of parchment on hand.
• Roll out the puff pastry to a 12-by-15-inch rectangle. Cut in three equal rectangles, about 12 by 5 inches each. Dock all over with a fork to suppress the puff pastry's rise in the oven. Transfer the pieces to the prepared baking sheet, cover with the other sheet of parchment and top with the second baking sheet. Bake until the flour structure has set and the pastry looks light golden and flaky, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the top baking sheet and piece of parchment and return to the oven until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes more. Cool completely on a baking rack.
• Meanwhile, combine the granulated sugar, salt, vanilla and 2 1/2 cups of the milk in a large saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until bubbles form around the edges. While the milk is warming, whisk together the cornstarch, flour, eggs and remaining 1/2 cup milk in a large bowl.
• Temper the egg mixture with the hot milk mixture, adding a ladleful to the egg mixture at a time, whisking the whole time. Once you've added two-thirds of the milk mixture to the egg mixture, pour it back into the pan and cook on medium heat, whisking constantly. Once the mixture thickens and comes to boil, stir vigorously and count to 60. Remove from the heat.
• Pass the pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, then stir in the butter and Scotch. Cool over an ice bath, stirring occasionally, until the pastry cream reaches room temperature. Transfer the pastry cream to a pastry bag fitted with a medium round tip. (Or, if not using immediately, cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap onto the surface of the pastry cream to keep a skin from forming.)
• Whip the cream in a medium bowl with a hand mixer or balloon whisk until medium-stiff peaks form. Put the whipped cream in a separate pastry bag with a medium round tip.
• Add the white chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon of the corn syrup to a metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water) and heat until melted and smooth; stir to combine. Add the semisweet chocolate chips and remaining 1 tablespoon corn syrup to a separate metal bowl over a pan of simmering water. Heat until melted and smooth, then stir to combine.
• Trim the cooled puff pastry carefully with a serrated knife to produce three identical pieces. Lay down one piece of pastry on a serving plate and pipe a layer of pastry cream on top. Sprinkle with chocolate crumbs. Top with a second layer of pastry and pipe a layer of whipped cream on top. Sprinkle with sliced almonds. Dip the top of the third layer of pastry in the melted semisweet chocolate, then spread with a knife to smooth the top. Top the whipped cream layer with the chocolate-covered pastry. Drizzle on some of the white chocolate with a spoon and create a swirled pattern with a wooden skewer if desired.

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.

MARVELOUS MILLE-FEUILLE

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment or a baking mat.
• Unfold the pastry, roll it to a 12-by-15-inch rectangle and cut into three 12-by-5-inch rectangles. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Prick the pastry and chill for 10 minutes in the freezer or 20 in the fridge.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Dust the pastry with powdered sugar (this will ensure the pastry caramelizes when cooked). Bake until golden brown and risen, about 15 minutes. Set aside to cool on a wire rack for about 15 minutes.
• In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the powdered sugar, mascarpone, cream and vanilla seeds and whisk until soft peaks form. Add the raspberry liqueur and lemon zest and turn on the mixer for 10 seconds to combine the ingredients.
• To assemble: Place a dab of the whipped cream on the serving plate to anchor the mille-feuille. Place one piece of pastry onto the plate glaze-side down. Spoon over half of the whipped cream, smoothing out the top. Arrange half of the fresh raspberries on top of the cream in rows, then top with another sheet of pastry, again glaze-side down. Top the second sheet of pastry with the remaining cream and raspberries. Add the last piece of pastry glaze-side up and liberally dust with powdered sugar.

CRUNCHY FRIED PB AND J

Steps:

• Spread the peanut butter on 4 slices of bread and the raspberry preserves on the other 4 slices. Add the bananas and a nice pile of chips on top of the peanut butter slices; sandwich with the raspberry preserve slices.
• Place the eggs and cereal in separate shallow bowls. Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat and melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Dip a sandwich in the eggs, then the cinnamon cereal, pressing down to make sure the cereal adheres to both sides. Repeat with the other sandwiches.
• In batches, fry the sandwiches low and slow until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side, adding more butter to the pan as needed. Cut the sandwiches in half on the diagonal and serve.