surely you know what i mean
when i describe the feeling of “behind”
the constant running in place
the lack of any kind of results
despite all the effort
it’s shitty, yo
my gpa passed some weeks ago
after living a full & long life
he is the first male role model i looked up to
he taught me how to buy cigarettes for him
at age 9
i learned to pick lottery numbers
by looking at license plates
he found a tricycle in the dumpster,
painted it fire engine red
and then stood outside for hours
while i furiously tryked around the courtyard
he was the personification of
grace, humility and love
when i first encountered our transgender neighbor,
a viewpoint that i hold most close & dear to my heart
to this day
this dessert is an ode to him
he introduced me to mille feuilles
many many many years ago
i have a life-long wish to taste
these treats in france one day
(dw are you reading this? let’s make it happen…)
normally this pastry is
layered with pastry cream
and then topped with a swirly
chocolate icing
i’ve lightened it up with
citrus curd
in an effort to move forward,
to go into the light
citrus curd mille-feuille – dairy free & semi-homemade
makes 3 3-layered napoleons
1 pkg of puff pastry, i used pepperidge farm as it’s pareve, i used just one sleeve, thawed
citrus curd –
3 eggs
1 TBL lemon zest
1/4 cup of honey
1/2 cup lemon juice
4 TBL of coconut oil
for the pastry:
preheat oven to 425F
the pastry is folded in thirds, unfold them on a lined cookie sheet. with a sharp knife cut into 3 strips, along already formed fold
for each strip, cut 3 even pieces. alternatively you can bake the strips, assemble the entire concoction and then cut it, up to you
lay out the pieces/strips on the lined cookie sheet and then layer with another piece of parchment paper. place another cookie sheet on top (this keeps the pastry from puffing up too much). bake for about 15-18 minutes, remove top sheet and bake for 4-5 minutes further, until lightly golden
remove from oven, allow to cool before assembly
for the curd:
in a saucepan, whisk together the eggs, lemon zest and honey, until lightly colored
add the lemon juice and the coconut oil, whisking constantly to prevent lumps and promote even melting
cook over medium heat, whisking consistently until mixture thickens
remove from heat, and if necessary, strain curd through a fine mesh sieve
fridge for a few hours to cool and thicken further, will keep for about a week
to assemble:
lay down first layer of pastry and smear on a healthy dose of curd, top with another layer of pastry and again, smear. top with final layer and top with powdered sugar.
bam!
