Eric: I don't know what inspiration moved Hervé, our pastry chef, and his then sous chef Paul, to make chocolate mille-feuille, but it must have been divine. The dessert certainly is.
- 1/2 cup plus 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for garnish
- 5 sheets frozen phyllo dough, defrosted
- 5 scant tablespoons sugar
- 1 recipe Pastry Cream
- 1 recipe Espresso-Chocolate Ganache
- 1 cup heavy cream
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
- Parchment paper
- Pastry brush
- Cut a sheet of parchment paper slightly larger than the phyllo and place it on a work surface. Heat the butter in a small saucepan until the butter melts but is not hot. Stir in the cocoa powder.
- Lay 1 sheet of phyllo over the parchment paper (keep the other sheets covered with a damp cloth). Brush the phyllo sheet with the butter mixture until the pastry is well coated. Sprinkle it with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Cover it with another sheet of phyllo dough, pressing it firmly over the bottom one. Brush with the butter to coat lightly and sprinkle with 1 scant tablespoon of sugar. Repeat with the remaining phyllo, butter, and sugar. Cover with another sheet of parchment paper, pressing it firmly over the phyllo.
- Use scissors to cut the parchment paper and phyllo layers in half crosswise. Slide each of the pieces onto separate baking sheets and refrigerate until cold. (The recipe can be made to this point up to 1 day ahead.)
- Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Place a baking sheet on top of each of the baking sheets with the phyllo, to weight the pastry as it bakes (if you do not have 4 baking sheets, bake the pastry in 2 batches). Bake until the phyllo is browned and crisp all over, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pans in the oven halfway through the cooking time. Remove the top baking sheets and let the pastry cool. (The recipe can be made to this point up to 1 hour ahead.)
- To serve, place the pastry cream over a pan of hot water to warm it slightly. Whisk until the cream is smooth, then add the ganache and whisk until well combined. Whip the heavy cream until it barely holds soft peaks. Remove the paper from both sides of the pastry and break it into irregular, angular pieces, 3 to 4 inches across; you will need 32 pieces.
- Spoon a dab of the chocolate cream in the center of 8 dessert plates and cover it with 1 piece of pastry. Top with a rounded tablespoon of chocolate cream. Lay another piece of the pastry over the filling, arranging it over the first so that the angles do not match. Top with a rounded tablespoon of chocolate cream. Cover with another piece of pastry, with opposing angles as before. Top with a rounded tablespoon of the chocolate cream and then a dollop of the whipped cream. Cover with another piece of pastry. Sift a little cocoa around the plate and serve immediately.
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