Cheat's Mille Feuille

Ingredients

Pastry:

Filling: 

Method

Pastry:
Preheat the oven to 180°C and line 2 baking trays with baking paper.

Defrost the phyllo pastry in the fridge overnight.

Brush a sheet of phyllo pastry with melted butter.

Lay a second sheet on top of the first and brush with melted butter. Repeat twice more so that you have  a stack of 4 sheets of buttered phyllo pastry.

Mark out 2 lines vertically and 3 lines horizontally, so that you have 12 equal sized rectangles. Cut with scissors and place onto the baking tray. 

Sprinkle each rectangle with sugar and bake for 8 minutes, or until the pastry is just turning golden. 

Cool completely on a cooling rack.

Filling:
Add the cream cheese to a mixing bowl. Sift in the icing sugar and beat together until smooth.

Add the vanilla essence and cream and beat until smooth. 

Fill a ziplock bag with the cream cheese mixture and seal it closed. Refrigerate until needed.

Place 1 rectangle of pastry onto a serving plate. 

Cut the tip of the ziplock bag and pipe 3 rows of kisses onto the pastry to cover it completely.

Add a layer of fruit using the plums, nectarines and strawberries.

Top with another layer of pastry and repeat the piping and fruit layer. Finish the layers by placing another layer of pastry on top. There should be 3 layers of pastry once completed.

Assemble 3 more plates in the same way.

Dust with icing sugar and enjoy immediately.

HINTS & TIPS:
The pastry can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in an airtight container.