Positivity once came very easily to me, but now I find myself becoming more and more of a pessimist every day. And that bothers me. I was once described as one of the most laid back people, now I find myself in the alien situation of becoming one of the most high strung ones.
I have always been a worrier. Always. Infact I was once gifted these tiny little wooden people, all beautifully painted, that were called 'worry friends'. You were supposed to tell them all your worries before you went to sleep and they would magically help your worries disappear overnight. This worked for a very brief time until I lost them in a caravan in Wales, which is worrying in itself.
My new years resolution is to focus on the positive and to stop stressing so much. A task that might take a small army, but nethertheless that is my goal. Focusing on the positives also means, to me at least, looking back on the past. In this case looking back to the glorious summer we had last year. I'll admit I spent the majority of it wishing that I could move to Alaska to get out of the dreadful heat, but I did secretly enjoy it.
During the summer my sister hosted a BBQ party and for dessert she served the most beautiful Eton Mess, I plan on stealing the recipe away from her soon. The fruit was cloyingly sweet last summer, which is when it is at my up most favourite. The weekend after I was set with the task of producing a dessert that encompassed the flavour of summer, but I just couldn't get that Eton Mess out of my mind! And thus, this Millefeuille was born.
I loved this, I won't lie. I would have sat and eat the orange cream with a spoon if I was allowed.
Summer Fruit Millefeuille
This dessert was based upon a recipe made by Gordon Ramsay and was available on the Channel 4 website but it has since been removed.
- 320–375g ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry
- 3tbsp icing sugar, plus extra to dust
- 1tsp vanilla extract
- 600ml double cream
- Zest of 1 orange
- ½ tbsp orange juice
- 200g-300g of fresh raspberries, strawberries, blackberries and red grapes
1) Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 7.
2) Unroll pastry from packaging, roll out slightly and cut into 3 equal strips. Place the strips onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Cover generously with icing sugar and bake for 8 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 200°C/Gas 6 and cook for a further 8-11 minutes until golden, but be careful! They can burn quickly. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
3) While the pastry is cooling prepare the cream. Add the sugar and vanilla to the cream ans whip until it forms soft peaks, be careful not to over beat. Fold in the orange zest and juice. Fill a piping bag with the cream (I used a large star tip) and chill in the fridge until ready to use.
4) Assemble the dessert just before serving to ensure that the pastry doesn't become soggy. Add a small amount of cream to the serving plate so the dessert does not slip. Place a layer of pastry to the plate. Pipe the cream in small peaks across the entire layer. On the outer edges alternate the raspberries, blackberries and halved strawberries. Dot the grapes along the center of the layer.
5) Take the next layer of pastry and, with a spatula, spread a generous layer of cream along the base of the pastry. Place it on top of the last layer and apply cream and fruit. Repeat with the last layer of pastry.
6) To decorate, sprinkle with icing sugar and curls of orange zest. Choose a large, good looking strawberry and with a sharp knife make slices a few millimeters apart. Gently twist the strawberry and place on top of the millefeuille. Serve immediately and enjoy!
