Classic Mille-Feuille golden and flaky

1 Cooking the puff pastry: roll out 17.75 oz (500 g) of 6-turn puff pastry to a thickness of 3 to 4 millimeters. Prick it with a fork or pastry docker (a pastry tool for pricking), then place it on a 30 x 40 cm rectangular baking sheet. Let rest for about 15 minutes. Bake for about 15 minutes at 390°F (200 °C): 6 minutes initially, then reduce the temperature to 320°F (160 °C) for the rest of the cooking time. If the dough puffs up too much at the beginning, cover it with another baking sheet.

2 Pastry cream: pour the milk into a saucepan and bring it to a boil. In a bowl, crack the eggs, then add the caster sugar. Work everything together with a whisk, then add the cream powder (or cornstarch). Mix well. Pour the boiling milk and whisk together. Return to the saucepan and cook over heat, stirring with a whisk until it boils. Remove from heat, then fold in the butter. Pour into a bowl and let cool.

3 Assembly: cut the puff pastry into 3 strips of equal width (see photos). Work the cold cream and add the flavoring (liquid vanilla or rum). Take one strip of pastry and cover it with half of the cream. Place a second strip of pastry on top, then add the remaining cream, spreading it well with a spatula. Place the third strip of pastry on top, press gently, then mask the edges with the cream that oozes out. Carefully cut into 5 equal portions with a serrated knife, then dust with icing sugar. Keep in the fridge before serving.