Artichoke and Goat Cheese Mille-Feuille Recipe for Entertaining

Ingredients

• 4 fresh globe artichokes — choose firm artichokes that feel heavy for their size, are evenly colored, free of blemishes, and have tightly closed leaves (see note)
• Juice from half a lemon
• 2.5 ounces fresh goat cheese
• One sheet of puff pastry, thawed according to package directions
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• Olive oil
• Fleur de sel or kosher salt

Instructions

Step 1 – Prepare the artichoke filling
1. Fill a bowl with enough water to cover the artichoke hearts and stir in the lemon juice. For each artichoke, snap off the bottom stem, trim the tough leaves at the base and the top third of the leaves. Remove the remaining outer leaves until you reach the choke, the dome of inedible fibers covering the heart. Scrape out the choke with a spoon or melon baller without damaging the heart. Place each heart in the lemon water to prevent browning while you prepare the rest.
2. Bring salted water to a boil in a medium saucepan, enough to cover the artichoke hearts. Add the hearts, return to a boil, and cook for eight minutes. Drain and let cool.
3. In a food processor, combine the cooled artichoke hearts, fresh goat cheese, and two teaspoons of olive oil. Pulse until combined but still slightly chunky. You can also mash and mix by hand with a fork. Cover and refrigerate until ready to assemble.
Step 2 – Prepare the pastry
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On a piece of paper, draw a 1.5″ x 4″ rectangle and cut it out as a template. On a lightly floured surface, gently roll the puff pastry to a roughly 10″ x 11″ (or 12″) rectangle. Use the paper template to cut 12 equal pastry rectangles with a sharp knife.
5. Arrange the pastry rectangles on the prepared baking sheet, leaving space for expansion. Prick each rectangle with a fork to limit puffing, brush lightly with olive oil, and sprinkle with thyme and fleur de sel. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until puffed and golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Step 3 – Assemble
6. Place two pastry rectangles on a work surface and spread each with a rounded tablespoon of the artichoke-and-goat-cheese filling, taking care not to break the pastry. Stack them, topping with a third rectangle. Repeat with the remaining pastry and filling.
7. Serve immediately, garnished with a few plum tomatoes (stem-on for a prettier presentation) and a light drizzle of vinaigrette.

Notes

Artichoke and Goat-Cheese Mille-Feuille Recipe

Unless otherwise noted, all recipes are copyright Clotilde Dusoulier.