Editorial content from Empório Portugal. Traditional recipes may vary by region, family, and cook.
About the recipe
Mil-folhas is a constant presence in Portuguese pastry shops, valuing the contrasting texture between puff pastry and cream.
The assembly requires well-baked and firm sheets, so they do not soften with the filling.
As in many Portuguese recipes, there are variations by region, family, and cook — with vanilla cream, egg sweet, or burnt sugar topping.
Ingredients
- 500 g of puff pastry
- 500 ml of milk
- 4 egg yolks
- 100 g of sugar
- 40 g of flour
- 1 vanilla pod
- Powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon of butter
Preparation method
- Roll out the puff pastry and cut rectangles of the same size.
- Bake between two trays or with a light weight, at 200 °C, until golden and crispy.
- Boil the milk with vanilla; mix yolks, sugar, and flour and cook the cream until thickened.
- Let the cream cool covered with plastic wrap in contact.
- Assemble by alternating layers of pastry and cream.
- Finish with a layer of pastry and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting with a serrated knife.
Tips from Empório Portugal
- Well-baked pastry is essential — damp sheets ruin the texture.
- Cut with firm movements to avoid crushing the layers.
- Serve fresh, on the same day or the next day.
Possible substitutions in Brazil
- Store-bought puff pastry reduces preparation time.
- Cream can be flavored with lemon or cinnamon.
Pairing
Espresso coffee or black tea.
This recipe is part of the editorial curation of Empório Portugal, developed from Portuguese culinary tradition. Like all traditional recipes, it may vary according to region, family, and cook.
Send it to the Empório Portugal community. Submitted recipes are reviewed before any publication.
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