Mille-Feuille

Mille-feuille (French mille-feuille — “thousand leaves”), known in our tradition as “Napoleon”, is a classic dessert that is the embodiment of a play of textures. It consists of several layers of thin crisp puff pastry generously layered with tender cream.

The name “thousand leaves” precisely describes the essence: during baking the puff pastry separates into countless very thin crisp flakes. These baked sheets are spread with cream — classically custard (crème pâtissière), while in the post-Soviet tradition “Napoleon” is often made with custard or buttercream and left to soak well. Herein lies the main difference of the two styles: the French mille-feuille is eaten fresh, while the pastry is still crisp, whereas “Napoleon” is on the contrary left to stand so the layers soak through and become soft and tender. On top the mille-feuille is classically finished with fondant glaze in a characteristic “marbled” pattern, or simply dusted with icing sugar; “Napoleon” is sprinkled with crumbs. The flavour of the dessert is a harmony of crisp (or tenderly soaked) pastry and rich creamy filling. Simple in appearance but demanding in execution, the mille-feuille/“Napoleon” is a beloved classic of both French and Ukrainian home confectionery.