Fig Millefeuille

To make the fig millefeuille, place the flour, salt, sugar, and vanilla bean seeds 1 in a stand mixer equipped with a paddle attachment, add the soft butter 2, and start the machine. Once the mixture is well combined 3

add the cold water 4. Continue kneading until you get a homogeneous mixture. Spread 2/3 of the dough on a parchment paper sheet, giving it a rectangular shape about 1/4 inch thick measuring approximately 14x11 inches, transfer the dough onto a baking sheet of the same size, and smooth the surface well with a spatula 5. Cover with another parchment paper sheet and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least one hour (or even overnight). Roll out the remaining dough on a parchment paper sheet, giving it a rectangular shape measuring half of the other, i.e., 11x7 inches, and about 1/4 inch thick 6. Cover with a parchment paper sheet, transfer the dough onto a baking sheet, and let it rest along with the other dough for 1 hour in the refrigerator.

Meanwhile, prepare the fig cream: put the gelatin sheets in cold water to soften them 7, peel the figs 8, and place them in a mixer 9

blend them to obtain a smooth sauce 10, transfer it to a saucepan, add the milk 11, and heat the sauce, stirring with a whisk 12.

In another bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar 13, add the cornstarch 14, and mix in half of the fig sauce into the egg mixture, stirring with a whisk to combine the ingredients 15.

Pour this cream into the saucepan containing the remaining fig sauce 16. Let the cream thicken over low heat, stirring with the whisk until you get a thick, not liquid cream. Turn off the heat and incorporate the well-squeezed gelatin sheets, continuing to stir with the whisk until fully dissolved 17. Transfer the cream to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap 18, and let it cool in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Take the puff pastry sheets and bake them in a convection oven at 428°F for 15 minutes, then continue cooking by lowering the temperature to 356°F for 25 minutes. By the end of this time, the pastry should be golden and not soft to the touch. Remove it from the oven 19 and dust with powdered sugar 20. Bake again, this time at 464°F for 3-4 minutes. The surface should be browned and shiny. Remove and let cool on a rack. Cut the large puff pastry in half, so you should get 3 sheets measuring 11x7 inches. Place one pastry sheet on a serving plate, fill with the fig cream using a pastry bag 21, and continue alternating a layer of pastry with a layer of cream.

Finish with a pastry sheet (22-23), cover the surface with powdered sugar and slices of fresh figs 24. Keep the fig millefeuille in the refrigerator until ready to serve.