Millefoglie
The mille-feuille, literally "a thousand leaves", also known as the Napoleon, is a French pastry whose exact origin is unknown. Its modern form was influenced by improvements of Marie-Antoine Carême.
It seems that this dessert was made for the first time in the royal court of France, although its precise origins are unknown. The cake was first mentioned in the book Cuisinier François by François Pierre de La Varenne, dating from 1651.
The traditional recipe that is still used today was perfected in the late eighteenth century by Marie-Antoine Carême and calls for three layers of puff pastry alternating with two layers of pastry cream and is topped with white icing.
Even though the cake does not literally have thousands of layers (as the Italian name Millefoglie implies), it has an extraordinary flavor and features an unforgettable play of textures created by the crusty puff pastry and the soft enveloping cream.
Like all time-honored recipes, an infinite number of variations have been invented over the years. In some, the pastry cream is substituted with whipped cream or flavored with cocoa, coffee or fruit. In addition, the icing is frequently replaced with a dusting of powdered sugar or a garnish of finely chopped nuts.
The most popular shape is rectangular, but it can also be prepared in single-serving portions or even layered loosely in a glass.