Apple Pie Mille Feuille

Directions

• To make the puff pastry
• Put flour, salt, and water in the bowl of a stand mixer.
  Mix with the paddle attachment to blend. Add 45 grams of butter and mix to rub in the butter.
• On low speed, stream in the water. Scrape the bowl and mix until dough forms – about a minute. Cut an ‘X’ in the top of the dough so that it splits. Wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for one hour. Lay the 300 grams butter on clingwrap and sprinkle with flour. Wrap completely, beat with a rolling pin until it is flat and about 7 inches square. Refrigerate until dough is ready and the dough and butter are about the same temperature.
• Flour the countertop, take out the dough, and roll with the x shape (you’ll end up with an open space in the center and flaps that form the X. Leave the center a little thicker than the rest. Don’t roll all the way to the ends. Roll out to about ½ in thick – 10 to 11 inches square. Place the butter block in the center, close up the X and pinch seams to ensure everything is sealed. Roll out to a rectangle that is about 8×16. Dust off excess flour, do one book turn, lock edges by tapping the edges with the rolling pin. Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for one hour.
• Preheat oven to 425F/218C. Cut in half and roll out to 1/4inch thick on a countertop that is generously coated with powdered sugar. Cut to the desired size, generously coat tops with powdered sugar and then turn the pieces over. This will help the pieces rise straight up. Dock each one, cover with icing sugar and then chill for 20 minutes. Cover with parchment and weight down with another baking sheet and a heavy object like a cast iron pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, remove top baking sheet and parchment. Bake another 5 to 10 minutes or until done.
• To make the pastry cream
• In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and vanilla bean paste over medium heat until hot and steaming but not boiling.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Add the egg yolks and whisk until lightened and well mixed.
• Pour a little of the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture while whisking continuously. Once mixed in, add a little more hot milk, continuing to whisk. Continue this process until all of the milk has been whisked in. Pour the mixture back into the pan and return to medium heat.
• Whisk constantly until pastry cream has thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the butter until it is all melted and mixed in. Push the pastry cream through a mesh strainer into a bowl.
  Cover with cling film directly on the surface of the pastry cream and chill until needed.
• Assemble the Mille Feuille
• Stack the pieces of puff pastry so that you have 3 pieces that are about the same size. This batch of puff pastry should make about 30 pieces so you will have 10 assembled mille-feuille. Set these aside.
• Mix the glaze by adding the powdered sugar, milk, and corn syrup together until smooth. Remove about 1/3 of the glaze and put it in a separate bowl. Mix the cocoa powder into the 1/3 glaze. Spread the white icing on the top pieces of puff pastry (I select the flattest pieces to be the tops). Put the chocolate icing in a piping bag or sandwich bag with the tip snipped off. Pipe lines on top of the white icing. Drag a toothpick through the lines to create a zigzag pattern. Allow to set and dry a bit while you assemble the rest of the mille-feuille.
• Pipe or spread chilled pastry cream on bottom piece of puff pastry. Spoon on some apple pie filling, top with another sheet of puff pastry, more pastry cream, more apple pie filling and then top with the iced puff pastry.