Lemon Ricotta Puff Pastry (Printable)
Crisp puff pastry layers with luscious lemon ricotta cream, dusted with powdered sugar.
# What You'll Need:
→ Puff Pastry
01 - 1 sheet store-bought or homemade puff pastry (approximately 9 oz)
02 - 1 tablespoon granulated sugar for sprinkling
→ Lemon Ricotta Cream
03 - 9 oz ricotta cheese
04 - 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
05 - 1 lemon, zest and juice
06 - 1/4 cup powdered sugar
07 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
→ Garnish
08 - Powdered sugar for dusting
09 - Lemon zest for decoration
# How-To Steps:
01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
02 - Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and cut into 12 equal rectangles. Place the rectangles on the prepared tray, sprinkle with granulated sugar, and cover with another sheet of parchment paper topped with a second baking tray to prevent excessive puffing.
03 - Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until crisp and golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
04 - In a mixing bowl, whisk the ricotta until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract, mixing thoroughly until well combined.
05 - In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the ricotta mixture until fully incorporated. Refrigerate until ready to assemble.
06 - Spread or pipe the lemon ricotta cream evenly onto six pastry rectangles. Top each with a second pastry rectangle to form six two-layer servings.
07 - Dust the top layer of each mille feuille generously with powdered sugar and garnish with fresh lemon zest. Serve immediately for the best texture.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- The contrast between shatteringly crisp pastry and cool, tangy cream is the kind of thing that makes people close their eyes when they take a bite.
- It looks like it came from a patisserie window but the whole thing comes together with store bought dough and a mixing bowl.
02 -
- That second baking tray on top during baking is not optional, because without it your pastry will curl and puff unevenly and you will not get those neat flat layers for stacking.
- Assemble these as close to serving time as possible since the cream softens the pastry within an hour, and that crunch is the whole point.
03 -
- If your ricotta is particularly wet, press it between paper towels or let it drain in a sieve over a bowl in the fridge for an hour before making the cream.
- The pastry rectangles can be baked a full day ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature, which means day of assembly takes about ten minutes.