Pear & Hazelnut Mille-Feuille with Bay Custard and Rosemary Caramel

01

Ingredients

• 1 sheet (320 g) vegan puff pastry, thawed but cold
• 2 tablespoons icing sugar
• 3 firm-ripe Bosc pears (about 500 g), cored and cut into 3 mm slices
• 2 tablespoons vegan butter, divided
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 60 g toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
• 2 cups (500 mL) unsweetened oat milk
• 2 fresh or dried bay leaves
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (80 g) granulated sugar
• 5 tablespoons (45 g) cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar, for the caramel
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) water, divided
• 1 small rosemary sprig, plus 6 tiny tips for garnish

02

Prepare the dish

1. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Roll the cold puff pastry between two sheets of parchment into a 30-by-24 cm rectangle. Trim the edges, prick the surface all over with a fork and chill for 10 minutes.
2. Keep the pastry on its lower parchment sheet, cover with the second sheet and set another baking tray on top to keep the layers even. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until deeply golden and crisp. Remove the upper tray and parchment, dust evenly with the icing sugar and bake uncovered for 3 to 5 minutes more, watching closely, until the sugar turns glossy. Cool completely, then use a serrated knife to cut 18 neat rectangles, each about 8 by 4 cm.
3. For the custard, warm the oat milk and bay leaves in a saucepan just until steaming. Remove from the heat, cover and infuse for 10 minutes, then discard the bay leaves.
4. Whisk the 80 g sugar, cornstarch and salt in a bowl. Gradually whisk in one-third of the warm milk until smooth, then return the mixture to the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, for 3 to 5 minutes until it bubbles and becomes thick and glossy. Whisk in 1 tablespoon vegan butter and the vanilla. Press reusable wrap directly against the surface, cool, then refrigerate until cold. Whisk briefly before transferring to a piping bag with a 1 cm plain tip.
5. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon vegan butter in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pear slices in a single layer and cook for 2 minutes per side. Add the maple syrup and lemon juice, toss gently for 1 minute until glazed, then transfer to a tray to cool.
6. For the rosemary caramel, combine the 100 g sugar with 2 tablespoons of the water in a small light-coloured saucepan. Cook without stirring over medium heat until the syrup reaches a deep amber. Remove from the heat, carefully add the remaining 2 tablespoons water, the rosemary sprig and a pinch of salt, then swirl until smooth. Stand for 8 minutes, discard the rosemary and cool until fluid but not hot.
7. To assemble, set aside 6 of the neatest pastry rectangles for the tops. Pipe six small custard mounds onto each of 6 base rectangles, add an even layer of pear and a few hazelnuts, then repeat with a second pastry rectangle, custard, pear and hazelnuts. Finish each stack with a reserved pastry top. Assemble no more than 20 minutes before serving so the pastry stays crisp.