Lemon Ricotta Puff Mille Feuille (Print View)
Golden puff pastry layers with silky lemon ricotta cream, finished with powdered sugar dusting.
# What You Need:
→ Puff Pastry
01 - 1 sheet store-bought or homemade puff pastry (about 9 oz)
02 - 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, for sprinkling
→ Lemon Ricotta Cream
03 - 9 oz ricotta cheese
04 - 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
05 - 1 lemon, zest and juice
06 - 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
07 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
→ Garnish
08 - Powdered sugar, for dusting
09 - Lemon zest, for decoration (optional)
# How to Make It:
01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
02 - Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 12 equal rectangles. Arrange on the prepared tray, sprinkle with granulated sugar, and cover with another sheet of parchment paper topped with a second baking tray to prevent excessive puffing during baking.
03 - Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the pastry is crisp and golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
04 - In a mixing bowl, whisk the ricotta until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract, then mix thoroughly until well combined.
05 - In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the ricotta mixture until fully incorporated. Refrigerate until ready to assemble.
06 - Spread or pipe the lemon ricotta cream evenly onto six of the pastry rectangles. Place a second pastry rectangle on top of each to form the layered mille feuille.
07 - Dust the top layer of each assembled mille feuille generously with powdered sugar and garnish with fresh lemon zest. Serve immediately for the best texture contrast.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- It looks like it came from a Parisian bakery but the whole thing comes together in under an hour with almost no pastry skills required.
- The lemon ricotta cream is addictive enough that you will catch yourself eating it straight from the bowl before the pastry even finishes baking.
02 -
- Skipping the second baking tray on top of the pastry is a mistake I made once and the layers puffed so unevenly they looked like abstract art and could not be stacked.
- Refrigerating the assembled mille feuille for more than an hour softens the pastry into sogginess, so assemble them as close to serving time as you can manage.
03 -
- The cream can be made a day ahead and refrigerated in a sealed container, but the pastry layers should be baked and stored separately at room temperature in an airtight container to stay crisp.
- Using a piping bag with a wide star tip to layer the cream gives each mille feuille a professional ridged look that takes almost no extra effort but impresses every single time.