Milhojas de Turron

Translated, milhojas simply means "thousand-leafs" and there are many versions of this pastry. The exact origin is unknown but this one is made with Spanish almond turron.

Milhojas of turron mousse

The combination of turron mousse, puff pastry and chocolate glaze does it every time. I had a second ...and a third!

Especially when the Callebaut dark chocolate chips are used for the glaze. It's a perfect match. 

Turron mousse:

  • 165 g soft almond turron
  • 30 cl cream (ice cold)
  • 6 cl full milk (ice cold)
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 2 tbsp icing sugar.
  • 4 cl sugar syrup (density 1.26 = 1 prt water to ±1.5 prt sugar)
  • 2 gelatin sheets

Chocolate glaze:

  • 80 g dark chocolate (of good quality)
  • 60 g sugar
  • 5 g butter
  • 4 cl water
  • 2 tbsp cream

Plus 3 sheets puff pastry 30 cm x 11 cm. Bought or home made.

Puff Pastry:

  1. Take a baking tray covered with baking paper and lay 1, 2 or 3 puff pastry sheets on it. Depending on how much space there is in the oven and how many baking trays you have.
  2. Cover the whole pastry with baking paper and lay another tray (a grid works too) on top to cover the entire surface. If you're going to use a grid lower the oven temperature to 180°C.
  3. Bake at 200°C for 20-25 minutes. The puff pastry must be cold before using it.

Turron Mousse:

  1. For the whip cream, put a metal mixing bowl in the freezer for 20 minutes, before starting. If you prefer not to wait, fill a bowl with 2 hands of ice cubes with some water. Put the metal mixing bowl over the ice cubes. 
  2. Pour in the cream, milk and beat with hand mixer at highest speed. Add the 2 table spoons of icing sugar and continue mixing until very thick and creamy. Stop beating otherwise it may turn into butter. Put the whip cream in the refrigerator.
  3. Let the gelatin sheets soak in some cold water.
  4. Using a fork, break the turron (must be at room temperature) apart until granulated. Add some whip cream from the frig and mash until it's a thick paste. 
  5. In a bain-marie, beat the egg yolks energetically with sugar syrup. Keep beating until it starts to become a thick cream. Add the softened gelatin sheets and stir until dissolved. Take it off the bain-marie and continue beating until cold. You should now have a pale yellow, consistent and foamy cream.
  6. Add the yolk cream to the turron paste and lightly mix using a spatula.
  7. Scoop the whip cream over the turron. Fold from under to over, toward the center, until you have a homogeneous, tan mousse. Refrigerate!
Milhojas of turron mousse.

Chocolate glaze:

  1. Bring water and cream to a boil with the sugar. Make sure the sugar is completely dissolved. Take it off the stove.
  2. Add the chocolate chips and butter to the hot liquid and stir until no lumps are left. You should now have a shiny chocolate cream.

Putting things together:

  1. Take one of the baked pastry sheets and cover with warm chocolate glaze using a pastry brush (silicone works too). Put it gently in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Be careful not to break the puff pastry.
  2. Another way of glazing is to put the puff pastry on a grid and a recipient beneath it (to catch the glaze). Pour the glaze over it and if necessary use a spatula for spreading evenly.
  3. Fill a piping bag with wide nozzle (at least 8 mm) with turron mousse and cover a sheet of pastry entirely. If you prefer, use an offset spatula instead of a piping bag but you'll have to be more careful. Put the other pastry sheet on top and layer this one with turron mousse as well.
  4. Take the chocolate covered pastry sheet out of the refrigerator and put it on the turron mousse. Make sure everything is evenly aligned. Leave in refrigerator 2 to 3 hours.
  5. Carefully cut the turron milhojas in five pieces of 6 cm wide. Garnish with chopped nuts and/or fruit.


Tools used: Hand mixer, bowls, piping bag with wide nozzle, silicone spatula, wooden spatula, bain-marie, knife, whisk.





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