Lemon Ricotta Puff Pastry (Printable)
Crispy puff pastry layers with luscious lemon ricotta cream, finished with powdered sugar dusting.
# 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 whole-milk ricotta cheese
04 - ⅓ cup plus 1½ tablespoons heavy cream
05 - 1 medium lemon, zest finely grated and juiced
06 - ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
07 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
→ Garnish
08 - Powdered sugar, for dusting
09 - Fresh lemon zest, for decoration
# How-To Steps:
01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
02 - Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and cut into 12 equal rectangles. Arrange the rectangles on the prepared tray, sprinkle evenly with granulated sugar, then place a second sheet of parchment paper and another baking tray on top to weigh them down and prevent excessive puffing.
03 - Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the pastry rectangles are crisp and deeply golden. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
04 - In a mixing bowl, whisk the ricotta cheese until perfectly smooth. Add the powdered sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract, then mix thoroughly until well combined.
05 - In a separate chilled bowl, whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the ricotta mixture in two additions, preserving as much volume as possible. Refrigerate until ready to assemble.
06 - Spread or pipe a generous layer of lemon ricotta cream onto six of the pastry rectangles. Top each with a second pastry rectangle, pressing gently to create a sandwich.
07 - Dust the top layer of each assembled mille feuille with powdered sugar and garnish with fresh lemon zest. Serve immediately for the best texture contrast.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- Store bought puff pastry does all the heavy lifting, so you get maximum elegance with surprisingly little effort.
- The lemon ricotta cream is bright and airy, nothing like heavy frostings that sit in your stomach for hours.
02 -
- That second baking tray on top is not optional, without it the pastry bubbles wildly and you end up with jagged domes instead of neat flat layers.
- Drain your ricotta in a fine mesh sieve for 30 minutes beforehand because watery ricotta will make your cream slide right off the pastry.
03 -
- Demerara sugar on the pastry instead of granulated sugar gives you a deeper, almost toffee like crunch that regular sugar simply cannot match.
- A piping bag with a wide round tip makes assembly faster and neater, but a simple zip top bag with the corner snipped off works just as well.