Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Napoleon/Mille Feuille/Vanilla Slice


Saffy

Recommended Posts

Manager note: This post and the two responses to it have been moved to this topic from the The Crusty Chronicles. Savories from Bakeries topic, to keep both focused.

 

On 8/24/2020 at 3:45 AM, haresfur said:

 

Wow, you must be remote! Want me to send you a meat pie and a vanilla slice? 😀

 

Ok- vanilla slice is? I am in Los Angeles and it is not a staple in this far flung metropolis that has specialty items at maybe Portos  as @blue_dolphin shared  As I noted noted earlier it is very different cuisine here.  https://www.portosbakery.com/our-story/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 8/24/2020 at 12:20 PM, heidih said:

 

Ok- vanilla slice is? I am in Los Angeles and it is not a staple in this far flung metropolis that has specialty items at maybe Portos  as @blue_dolphin shared  As I noted noted earlier it is very different cuisine here.  https://www.portosbakery.com/our-story/

 

Kind of peripheral to this topic because it is sweet. - vanilla custard sandwiched between layers of puff pastry. Every country bakery has won awards for their vanilla slice 😀

  • Like 1

It's almost never bad to feed someone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, haresfur said:

 

Kind of peripheral to this topic because it is sweet. - vanilla custard sandwiched between layers of puff pastry. Every country bakery has won awards for their vanilla slice 😀

 

OK so what we here call Napoleon or Milles-Feuille. I am a fan.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I was young and constantly dieting (the era of Twiggy) I was religious about calories all week and gave myself one day a week off. I usually indulged at a wonderful local place where the Napoleon had super flaky crisp layers, a flavorful cream filling, and an artistic minimalist chocolate squiggle on top. Bakery gone now though ts replacement looks interesting.   https://www.pinwheelcafebakery.com/

Edited by heidih (log)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I was first married (early 1980's), my go-to company dessert was rounds of puff pastry (Pepperidge Farm in those days - now I'd use Trader Joe's all butter) with a strawberry/whipped cream mixture in between the layers.  These were made individually to cut down on mess.  I haven't made them in at least 30 years, but this discussion has me thinking of trying again.  I'd probably go with creme pat now.  Or a mixture of that and whipped cream?  What say you?

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, haresfur said:

Here is an Aussie Vanilla Slice. Canadian Date Slice for scale. Don't Napoleons have more layers of pastry?

EG8gobYzXXDcaGbGXx6Bk4qeEGLy3-FiA27oPoclKWmAJ2qvnR9LBvxW-mq0IRxxupGs88r3I0x_ivqQWUHdwiFyRraqOuCimZ0o9JMokSA4ozMPE9mZwa07avuByI86rQhcm6xpYZnmNx4hT8dqAcoXKofmw2eTa_u9TXr0gaJQzluMneEfBBQ79ptVZAYmNsiM-nFv_H2VZVgt860Qzf4mXB2AeOobP5ic0PFccYqdC8uxZAOlIxTrLeqOhk0qxPjkotYjfqysr4w77jZmnYiykZE_SMBlAzZ5ctacbQKkjPA_zDvJnnuNwE2ztAcy_cPpq1uu1avOL_8eDsBsu-tubaOgSw6tXPyPjhAAAfB_Yx8fV9OlFZSguCwM7MEsOUYwAWna7Z3gxKwlAAIcKn2QBs2rv6IuHxUF44XUrDuFylZjEmWV2ZR6MtxJTm6myY8oJE3mT3opUspK8d0PNyH1SLbDUbrqWVA0pKF7fRLhXI7Pq9QDStaIENQiHYtw27fMIDKWEn1rhUYUw8kR_f203o53lcnW8v6-_JOFDPB_JhUIbcgRsqzOM6-JLyW1C56thcGX4tueYapc-WyWukvXriDUttekrS5DnlXBrPHYzg4VOiw9a4G0p67aZ0rl6rmwFB6weLFCiZmcrcSxqO2txeKyvxPxOMtuEeZ6-ZEmxA11Nc-pi7jHQ5Ey=w996-h717-no?authuser=0

Yeah Napoleons have 3 layers of puff pastry. I think the custard in the Aussie vanilla slice is also much more set than a normal pastry cream - apparently they're also nicknamed "snot blocks" there due to that consistency 😂

  • Like 1
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

In my neck of the woods you get this when ordering tompouce/tompoes. It's considered a very Dutch pastry.

Another very Dutch thing is the Hema store. Youtube has some of their old tompouce ads from the '90's. The original

OG's retailed at 6 for €7,50 now down to €4,95 back in those days. The special ones were €1.95 a piece, €5,75 for 4 items.

Currently you can get your hands on the OG for €0,75 a pop. The stuffing is described as the light/airy Hema stuffing and defines the flavour as "yellow cream".  See how they make it:

 

There's only one luxury version atm, setting you back at €1,35 but is only available in a set of two. It has two layers of creamy filling with a crumb topping instead of the much loved pink glazing one usually finds. Specs say it has a vanilla flavour. Well, that narrows it down.😒

Wanna pick your own topping? Order a foto tompouce with your picture of choice on it, in either mini squares or the regular rectangle format.

 

The tompouce flavour has been popular enough to branch out into other adventures. The southern Dutch province of Limburg is famous for its vlaai, so you can kill two birds with one stone with this luxurious tompoucevlaai. Luxurious apparently refers to the double layers, so don't get your hopes up too much. Multivlaai has one as well.
Or choose soesjes (choux) dipped with that pink stuff.

Van Delft had tompoucepepernoten (which technically are kruidnoten but not enough people care about the difference). They aren't mentioned on their website now, but that could be because it's a seasonal thing peaking from September to December.

Easter has seen a similar thing happening to its chocolate eggs. Trailblazer Hema has been followed by if I'm correct candystore Jamin and supermarketchain Albert Heijn selling tompouce easter eggs.

 

Back to the real deal.
 

Christiane Muusers is a Dutch culinary historian, who runs www.coquinaria.nl and also writes in English (hooray!). She'll give you a background on the Dutch millefeuille.

Digging deeper in Dutch, she compares tompouce prizing and ingredients here.

 

Holtkamp is a famous name in pastryland here. There's more than one though.

Meet an employee from Koos Holtkamp in Maassluis

Cees Holtkamp acquired national fame for his kroketten and baking. His granddaughter Stella joines him to make tompouces.

 

Robèrt van Beckhoven holds a Meester (master) title for both boulanger (bread) and patissier. He's also judging the Dutch version of Great British Bake Off, called Heel Holland Bakt. Here's the video and the recipe they used on the show https://heelhollandbakt.omroepmax.nl/recepten/details/tompoucen/.

On the celebratory Kingsday you'll find many things orange, including tompouces with an orange glaze. Both recipes use a swiss cream filling.

Edited by CeeCee
spacing optimalisation (log)
  • Like 3
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...