In response to many request after a Facebook post of mine yesterday, here is the recipe for French Vanilla Squares, which also includes the recipe for optional homemade rough puff pastry to use as its base.

French Vanilla Squares

1 sheet ready rolled puff pastry or rough puff pastry, see recipe at end.

4 cups milk

½ cup cream

1 cup sugar

1 cup cornflour

1 cup custard powder

60g room temperature butter, diced

4 eggs,  lightly whisked

4 teaspoons gelatine

½ cup boiling water

To decorate

300ml thickened cream

1 teaspoon icing sugar

Few drops vanilla extract

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, approximately

Method

Heat oven to 200°C (fan forced).  Thaw pastry sheet, and place on baking paper on a cold baking tray. Prick all over with a fork or docking wheel.

If using homemade rough puff pastry, cut one quarter from the larger piece, dust with flour and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out to a 22cm square.  Place on a baking sheet that hs been lined with baking paper and prick all over with a fork or docking wheel.

Bake until golden.  Remove from oven and set aside to cool.  Grease a 20cm removable base square pan.  Cut pastry to fit into the base and set in place.

Sprinkle the gelatine over the boiling water and stir to completely dissolve.  Set aside while making the custard (do not allow to set).

Place the milk, cream, sugar, cornflour and custard powder in a large heavy based pot.  Combine well with a whisk until smooth.

Place on stove over medium/low heat and bring to boiling point, stirring constantly with a strong metal whisk.  Allow to simmer briefly until very thick.  Remove from heat, and quickly whisk in the gelatine mixture, eggs and butter and reheat just to simmering point but do not boil.

Pour the custard evenly over the prepared pastry then immediately cover with a piece of cling wrap, pressing down slightly onto the surface and levelling out at the same time.  Leave to cool completely.

Whisk the cream with the icing sugar until firm peaks form.   Remove slice from tin and then spread cream over the top.  Sprinkle with ground nutmeg.

Place in the fridge until serving time, then cut into squares (an electric knife is really good for this purpose – otherwise use a sharp knife that has been dipped in hot water, then dried).

Easy Rough Puff Pastry

This is too much for one vanilla square, but I find making any less to be pointless.  After all the pastry keeps well and can be frozen for later use.  This amount makes 4 x 20cm squares.

250g plain flour

250g chilled salted butter, cut into 2.5 cm pieces

Small pinch salt

1 egg yolk, lightly whisked, mixed with 120ml cold water

Method

Place flour, butter and salt in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse for 2 seconds, then repeat.  The pieces of butter should be now mostly about 1cm in size.

Tip the mixture into a bowl.  Drizzle the egg yolk/water mixture over the top and then gently with one hand bring the dough together. 

Turn out onto a floured surface.  Pat out to a rectangle, then roll out, making the dough twice as long as it is wide, and about 8mm thick.  Push edges is s you go.

Fold dough into thirds, Turn 90 degrees and roll out again, thus time a little thinner.  Repeat twice more. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate 30 minutes before using.

(To use for Vanilla Squares – on a floured surface, roll out one quarter of the dough to a 22cm square, Place on a baking tray that has been lined with baking paper. Prick all over with a fork. Bake at 200 degrees C for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Cool before fitting into the 20cm square tin. Incidentally, the remainder of the pastry can be refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for 2 months.)