French Vanilla Slice Recipe - Eatability (2024)

FAQs

How do you eat vanilla slices? ›

Many of us often cut the dessert from the top, causing the custard to explode out of the side, in what the bakery labelled the “wrong way”. However the “right way” involved turning the dessert on its side before taking to it with a knife, ensuring the vanilla slice remains intact.

Often also called Vanilla Slice in Australia, Custard square is two layers of puff pastry, surrounding a creamy, smooth custard. The whole thing is then topped off with a vanilla bean icing. It's a New Zealand Classic, and something I always used to get from the bakery growing up.

A mille-feuille (French pronunciation: [mil fœj], "thousand-sheets"), also known by the names Napoleon in North America, vanilla slice in the United Kingdom, and custard slice, is a French dessert made of puff pastry layered with pastry cream.

For best results, leave the slice in the fridge overnight and cut whilst still in the tin. Use a small sharp serrated knife and cut through only the top pastry layer. Then use a large sharp knife to gently press down through the custard and pastry base layer.

Dip the Knife in Hot Water

It's essential for perfection. Dipping the knife in hot water before cutting will prevent tearing, uneven slicing, or frosting sticking to the knife. The residual heat of the knife ensures that the frosting stays where it is supposed to be and helps the knife slide through it like butter.

Mille-feuille (pronounced meel-foy) is a type of French pastry that is otherwise known as vanilla or custard slice. It is made from layers of thin puff pastry that is alternated with a cream filling and topped with a ganache.

Custard slice or vanilla slice is best eaten the day it's made because the custard will soften the puff pastry quickly. However, you can keep vanilla slice for 3-4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

Yes you can eat vanilla extract raw, but just know that it will be bitter. It is advisable to add it to certain dishes for flavor. It contains ethanol, and can make you intoxicated. It can also be allergic to some people and may lead to difficulty breathing, digestion problems, and headaches.

A French Vanilla Slice topped with icing sugar and filled with delicious homemade custard infused with cream. A lighter alternative to the traditional Vanilla Slice.

The main difference between vanilla and French vanilla is the addition of egg yolks and the custardization process. French vanilla has a richer, creamier taste and a slightly yellow color, while regular vanilla has a more basic flavor and a white or off-white color.

What is the difference between a Bavarian slice and a vanilla slice? ›

Bavarian slice differs a little from custard slice or vanilla slice in that it has an extra layer of puff pastry with jam sandwiched between two of them then the layer of custard and another layer of puff pastry. Bavarian slice also has a two tone icing with a chocolate icing swirled through the vanilla icing.

A rose by any other name

Replacing the plain English name (vanilla slice, custard block) with an irreverent and outrageous moniker (“snot block” or “phlegm sandwich”) is standard practice in Australia, where informality and a lack of pretence are hallmarks of the vernacular.

A tea-time treat of velvety custard sandwiched in crisp, flaky pastry. For the traditional bakery look, top with glacé icing and a chocolate drizzle. Makes: 10. Prep time: 30 mins. Total time: 1 hr 40 mins, plus infusing, chilling and cooling.

Creamy, custard, vanilla.

Creamy vanilla ice cream with an egg custard for a rich, deeper flavor that's been recognized nationally as one of the best. Made to spark everyday moments since 1926.

To slice neatly, remove from the fridge 5 minutes before cutting. Run knife under warm (not hot) water, wipe dry then cut quickly. For very neat slices, clean knife between each cut - I did this for the photos. Don't make the knife too hot otherwise the chocolate melts when you cut it and smears into the caramel.

Cut into squares with a serrated knife when set.

Try cutting everything in two at every step. It's often a lot easier to visually estimate halves than any other fraction. Cut the whole tray in two, then cut each half in two, then each remaining segment in two, and so on until you have pieces that are about the size you want. That's the method that works for me.