Ice Cream Millefeuille

Summer is already in full swing in Paris, with very pleasant mornings. As I run along the Seine River in the morning, I imagine myself running on the beaches of Biarritz. Beside me, a group of early-rising surfers, and on the horizon, the famous lighthouse. The scent of the ocean’s salt mingles with the aroma of freshly baked croissants from the bustling boulangerie in the city center, while beach boys prepare comfortable beach chairs and umbrellas for the crowds. This imagination will soon become a vivid reality.

At noon, the city warms up, and I mean really warms up. Sometimes it feels like being inside a hot oven, only without air conditioning. But Paris is charming even when it’s hot—the light reflecting off the buildings, the stars sparkling on the water, the buzzing bistros, the chilled glasses, and the refreshing rosé.

This is also the time when Parisians and tourists seek out cooler, more refreshing, and less heavy desserts. In recent years, every pastry chef in the city has taken pride in their handcrafted ice creams, alongside a collection of summer desserts usually rich in lemon, red fruits, and apricots.

Of course, we decided to celebrate the summer as well. After I shared the recipe for coffee ice cream with chocolate ball chunks, I realized that with this recipe, one can create so many desserts and variations. The ice cream base is very simple, consisting of just two ingredients, but this base can be taken in such unique and creative directions.

Introducing the dessert that will turn any summer hosting into a truly festive occasion—Ice Cream Millefeuille! An homage to the classic French dessert composed of three layers of puff pastry, also known as pâte feuilletée (feuilles=leaves, hence its name, “a thousand leaves”), with two layers of traditional pâtissière cream in between, or alternatively, modern variations with different types of creams.

So, how do we transform this dessert into ice cream? Three layers of crispy, crunchy puff pastry with two layers of delicious Stracciatella gelato in between, and a hint of salted caramel to unite all the layers. It’s a wonderful combination of textures and flavors—a cool and indulgent dessert that will steal the show and become a regular guest at every event in the coming months.

Chocolate Balls and Coffee Ganache Ice Cream
22-cm square pan

Ingredients
Ice Cream:
500g heavy whipping cream
400g condensed milk
80g dark chocolate, chopped

Salted Caramel:
200g salted caramel, recipes inside

Puff Pastry:
Butter puff pastry (very cold, ready for work)
1 egg whisked with 1 tsp of milk for brushing

Preparation
1. Ice cream: In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the cream until it holds stiff peaks. Gradually add the condensed and fold until the ice cream becomes soft and silky.
2. Fold the chopped chocolate into the ice cream.
3. Pour the ice cream into a pan lined with plastic wrap, smoothing it out to create a uniform and smooth square. Place it in the freezer for at least 14 hours.
4. Salted Caramel: Prepare the salted caramel according to the recipe.
5. Puff Pastry: Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Line a large flat baking tray with parchment paper.
6. Cut 3 rectangles from the puff pastry, each measuring 24×12 cm. Arrange them on the baking paper and prick them with a fork. Brush the puff pastry rectangles with an egg and milk mixture.
7. Bake for about 10 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius, then reduce the temperature to 180 degrees Celsius and bake for another 25 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Assembly
8. Remove the ice cream from the freezer, take it out of the pan, and peel off the plastic wrap. Cut it into two equal rectangles measuring 22×11 cm.
9. Place a puff pastry rectangle on a serving plate with the puffed side facing down. Spread a quarter of the caramel on the puff pastry.
10. Place an ice cream rectangle on top of the caramel. Note that the ice cream rectangle should be slightly smaller (about half a centimeter) than the puff pastry rectangle. Since the puff pastry shrinks during baking, you may need to slightly reduce the size of the ice cream rectangles to fit them to the size of the puff pastry rectangles after baking.
11. Spread a quarter of the caramel on another layer of puff pastry, which will be the middle layer of the dessert. Attach the puff pastry layer to the ice cream layer using the caramel.
12. Spread a quarter of the caramel on the other side of the middle puff pastry layer and place the second ice cream rectangle on top.
13. Spread the remaining caramel on the last puff pastry rectangle (on the smoother side). Attach the puff pastry layer to the ice cream layer using the caramel.
14. Flip the entire mille-feuille onto its side so that all the layers are exposed facing upward. Place it in the freezer for a few hours.
15. Cut and serve.

Bon-Appétit
Sharon