Ingredients:
- 1 sheet puff pastry (half of a frozen pack)
- 5 large eggs
- 5 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon hot water
For Cream Layer I:
- 10½ oz hazelnuts
- ½ cup boiling milk
- 1 packet vanilla sugar (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
- 1 tablespoon dark rum
- 5¼ oz unsalted butter
For Cream Layer II:
- 6 egg yolks
- 7 oz granulated sugar
- 3 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2¾ cups whole milk
For Cream Layer III:
- 1¾ cups heavy cream (about two 6.8 fl oz mini cartons)
- Cream stabilizer (optional)
- Powdered sugar, to taste
Preparation:
Roll out the puff pastry and bake flat on the back of a baking tray until golden. Once cooled, cut into squares using kitchen scissors.
Separate the eggs. Beat the yolks with sugar and hot water until thick and pale. Gently fold in the flour and stiff egg whites. Pour into a pan and bake the sponge layer until golden.
Toast the hazelnuts, remove as much skin as possible, and grind them finely. Pour boiling milk over them, add butter, vanilla sugar, and rum, and stir until combined. Spread the warm hazelnut cream over the sponge layer.
In a pot, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until fluffy. Add flour and ⅔ cup of the milk. Bring the remaining milk to a boil, then slowly pour in the egg mixture and cook like a pudding, stirring constantly. Let it cool slightly and spread over the hazelnut layer.
Beat the heavy cream until stiff, adding stabilizer and sugar if desired. Spread over the cooled custard layer.
Top with the baked puff pastry squares and dust with powdered sugar.
