Sunday, December 24, 2006

Oh Mille Feuille, Oh Mille Feuille

Summer Berry Mille Feuille

One more sleep!
Is your Christmas tree up? Are you stockings filled?
Have you hung the mistletoe?
Have you done all your shopping?

Our sun-drenched summers are indeed something to boast about, but we down-under are bracing ourselves for one of the wettest Christmases in years! A statement that would normally, not be punctuated with an exclamation, although for us in Sydney, the wet weather is a more than welcome respite for our drought affected state. Christmas prayers and wishes have been answered as a sizeable downpour has descended on Sydney, and it couldn’t have come at a more opportune time- a well received gift from the heavens.

As I am writing this post, there is literally a monsoon pouring down from above; a symphony of rain to accompany these words. It’s a well-timed and long-awaited Christmas present for the state of New South Wales, and after flying over the drought affected areas while en route to Melbourne, I never grasped the extent of the drought until that time. So it is good news for all!

Summer Berry Mille Feuille

To offset the grey hues currently draping our city, here is a Summer Berry Mille Feuille that is the perfect dessert for anytime of the year. Berries are the perfect fruits to counter any grey day, their vibrant tints and superb contours are just the thing to chase away your troubles. If berries won’t make you happy I don’t know what will. The apples are soaked in a little drizzling of lemon juice and honey, but if you prefer you can leave them undressed, they taste just as good.

So here's to a very merry and wet Christmas to all! Go and jump in some puddles, run in the rain and may your garden look greener than ever.

Summer Berry Mille Feuille
special equipment: mandolin slicer
serves 4-6

Summer Berry Mille Feuille Summer Berry Mille Feuille

1 red or green apple
juice of ½ a lemon
1 tablespoon honey
½ cup mascarpone cheese
1 cup berries

Raspberry sauce
½ cup raspberries (frozen)
¼ cup caster sugar

FOR THE SAUCE
Place frozen raspberries and sugar in a food processor with the blade attachment and pulse 5-8 times until the raspberries are crushed.
Place in an airtight container and store in the freezer.

FOR THE APPLES
In a medium bowl, mix the honey and lemon juice.
Slice the apples thinly, using a mandolin slicer and drench slices in the lemon and honey mixture.
Set aside for 5 minutes to soak.

ASSEMBLY
Spread a thin layer of mascarpone cheese on two slices of apples.
Place one layer on a plate and top with berries, place the second slice of apple on top and top with another layer of berries.
Top with another slice of apple and drizzle, with raspberry sauce.

17 comments:

Brilynn said...

My mom has been after me to make her mille feuille, your version will make it much easier for me to fulfill her request!

Caty said...

I love the idea of using apples instead of pastry, and your pictures are wonderful.

Have a happy christmas.

Anonymous said...

Merry Christmas !!

Vintage Wine said...

It looks delicious :-)

Merry Christmas!

Cerebrum said...

Looks very yummy Jen - quite impossible to make around here this time of year, but I'll savor every bite from your pictures and dream of summer! Merry Christmas!

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) said...

So nice to discover your blog, where it's summer! Here in the northeast US, we're expecting a bit of snow later this evening, so it's a real treat to see wonderful summer berries.

Sandra Le Petrin said...

what a lovely presentation for a perfect dessert..! very nice and yummy!

Anonymous said...

Absolutely amazing, and a perfect flavour-filled fresh dessert for summer!

Hope you had a wonderful holiday season surrounded by your loved ones :)

Anonymous said...

ARGH!

wrong URL - that last comment is from Ellie at kitchenwench :P

Patricia Scarpin said...

Jenjen, this is one magnificent dessert!

It's amazing what a little imagination is capable of: not many ingredients and a great result!

Shirley said...

That looks like something that I would eat :P

Jen said...

Brilynn- It's so much easier than having to fiddle around with all the puff pastry. It's definitely a great alternative. Less fuss, and just as much wow-factor.

Caty- Thanks so much, hope you had a wonderful Christmas too : )

Swee- Same to you (although it's a little bit late).. but I hope you have a great New Year!!

Vintage Wine- Thanks, hope you had a amazing Christmas too !!

Zarah Maria- Hope you had a beautiful white Christmas in Copenhagen!!
And all the best for 2007!

Lydia- Oh how exciting... snow! Hope your Christmas was merry and white!!

Avital- Thanks!!

Ellie- Thank you, I also hope you had a great Christmas filled with lots of food and family.

Patricia Scarpin- Thank you. You're right, it's not very hard to make, especially if you already have all the ingredients in your fridge and for the little effort you need to put in the result looks quite amazing. Again, thanks for your lovely comments.

Swirlycinnacakes- Oh yes it was definitely something I ate!!

Orchidea said...

The are really beautiful and look so delicious! Bel millefoglie!
Ciao.

Anonymous said...

oh how so very pretty! i love this so much berries and mascarpose is one of my favorite things. i think the apples sound delicious.

foodiemama said...

absolutley beautiful!

Anonymous said...

tasty and looks great!