Banana and Ginger Mille-Feuilles

Serves: 8

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 10-15 minutes

Ingredients:

425g ready-rolled puff pastry (2 sheets measuring about 280 x215mm)

Icing sugar

300ml Millac Gold

32 Wafer thin slices stem ginger in syrup

Apricot conserve

4 ripe small-to-medium bananas, see note

Toasted flaked almonds

20g castor sugar

Method:

1. Unroll the pastry onto baking sheets lined with baking paper. Prick all over with a fork and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Sift some icing sugar over the pastry (this will give an attractive gloss to the finished dish).
2. Put the chilled pastry into a preheated oven and cook at 220°C, Gas 7 for 10-15 minutes until well risen and golden brown. Transfer the hot pastries to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
3. Meanwhile, whip the Millac Gold with the 20g of castor sugar until stiff peaks forms. Thinly slice some drained stem ginger (you will need about 32 wafer-thin slices).
4. When the pastry is cold, use a long serrated knife to trim off the pastry edges and cut each sheet into eight rectangles. Cut each rectangle horizontally into two slices.
5. Peel and thinly slice the bananas
6. On one piece of pastry, spread a little apricot conserve. Spread some whipped Millac Gold over conserve and top with 2 slices of ginger and some banana. Add a second layer of pastry and top with Millac Gold, ginger and banana. Add a third layer of pastry, Millac Gold, ginger and banana. Top with pastry (make sure this is a crisp, browned piece)
7. Repeat with the remaining pastry, conserve, Millac Gold, ginger and bananas.
8. To serve, sift a little icing sugar over each pastry and sprinkle with a few toasted flaked almonds. Drizzle with a little ginger syrup.

Add your own touch:

Cut the pastry into different shapes, squares, triangles or circles (use a sharp cutter). Instead of bananas, use thin slices of ripe mango or peaches. Or try raspberry conserve with gently-crushed raspberries, or strawberry conserve with sliced strawberries.

Note:

Steps 1-5 can be completed in advance, just leaving the assembly of the pastry until the last minute. Toss the banana slices in a little lemon juice - this will help to prevent them from browning.