Lemon Ricotta Puff Pastry Mille Feuille (Printer-friendly)

Flaky golden pastry layers filled with silky lemon ricotta cream and dusted with powdered sugar.

# What You Need:

→ Puff Pastry

01 - 1 sheet store-bought or homemade puff pastry (about 9 oz)
02 - 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, for sprinkling

→ Lemon Ricotta Cream

03 - 9 oz whole-milk ricotta cheese
04 - ⅓ cup plus 1½ tablespoons heavy whipping cream
05 - 1 medium lemon, zest and juice
06 - ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
07 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

→ Garnish

08 - Powdered sugar, for dusting
09 - Fresh lemon zest, for decoration (optional)

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and cut into 12 equal rectangles. Arrange the rectangles on the prepared baking sheet, sprinkle evenly with granulated sugar, and place a second sheet of parchment paper on top followed by a second baking sheet to weigh them down and prevent excessive puffing.
03 - Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the pastry is crisp and deep golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
04 - In a mixing bowl, whisk the ricotta until perfectly smooth. Add the powdered sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract, then mix thoroughly until well combined.
05 - In a separate chilled bowl, whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the ricotta mixture in two additions until uniformly combined. Refrigerate until ready to assemble.
06 - Spread or pipe a generous layer of lemon ricotta cream onto six of the pastry rectangles. Top each with a second pastry rectangle to form six two-layer mille feuille.
07 - Dust the top pastry layer of each mille feuille with powdered sugar and finish with a scattering of fresh lemon zest. Serve immediately.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The contrast between shattering crisp pastry and cool lemon cream is the kind of texture that makes people close their eyes when they bite into it.
  • It looks like it came from a patisserie window but the whole thing comes together with supermarket ingredients and zero pastry training.
  • The lemon ricotta filling is lighter than buttercream and far less sweet, so you actually want a second piece instead of regretting the first.
02 -
  • That second baking tray on top during baking is not optional because without it the pastry puffs so aggressively that you end up with inflated pillows instead of flat crisp layers you can stack.
  • The assembled mille feuilles wait for nobody since the cream slowly softens the pastry, so have your guests seated and plates ready before you put them together.
03 -
  • Freeze the mixing bowl and whisk for fifteen minutes before whipping the cream because cold equipment gets you to stiff peaks faster and with a more stable result.
  • Taste the ricotta mixture before you fold in the cream and adjust the lemon juice because lemons vary wildly in acidity and the balance should be bright but not sharp.

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