Peach Melba mille-feuille

For the pastry, preheat the oven to 200°C

Place the puff pastry sheet on a non-stick baking mat and dust with icing sugar. Bake for 25 minutes then reduce the temperature to 190°C. Bake for 20 minutes

Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C, open the door briefly to release the steam and bake for 40 minutes

Reduce the oven temperature to 170°C and bake for another 40 minutes

Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C and bake for a final 40 minutes, or until deeply caramelised and crisp. Remove and set aside to cool completely

For the crème fraîche mousse, bloom the gelatine in cold water. Warm a third of the cream in a small pan with the vanilla seeds and their pods until steaming, then squeeze and add the gelatine and sugar. Stir well to dissolve then add the rest of the cream. Fold through the crème fraîche then transfer to a container and leave to set in the fridge

For the almond crème pâtissière, place all the ingredients into a Thermomix and cook until the mixture reaches 98°C. Blitz until smooth, then transfer to a piping bag fit with a Mont Blanc piping nozzle (alternatively, if you don’t have a Thermomix follow the steps below)

Whisk together the sugar, egg yolks and flours in a heatproof bowl whilst you bring the milk and almond praline paste to the boil in a saucepan on a medium heat. Slowly pour in the milk mixture, whisking constantly, until fully incorporated

Return to the pan and cook until the mixture thickens, stirring constantly – it will go very lumpy at first, but continue to whisk until smooth, thickened and glossy. Continue to cook for 2 minutes, then pass through a sieve into a bowl

Cover the surface of the crème pâtissière with cling film to stop it forming a skin and allow it to cool. Chill in the fridge

Blitz the almond crème pâtissière with a handheld blender or in a food processor until smooth, then transfer into a piping bag described in step 7 above

Meanwhile, for the raspberry compote, preheat the oven to 230°C

Toss the raspberries in the sugar and transfer into a single layer in a snug-fitting roasting tray. Roast for 10 minutes, then strain the liquid through a sieve into a saucepan, then reduce it until thick (watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn). Fold the raspberries back through the syrup, then set aside to cool

Remove the vanilla pods from the crème fraîche mousse, then whip with a balloon whisk until smooth. Light whip the whipping cream to soft peaks, then fold this into the mousse. Lightly whip it a little to the desired texture – you want it to hold its shape but not be too firm. Place into a piping bag with a 4mm piping nozzle

For the candied almonds, make a sugar syrup by dissolving the sugar in the water. Bring it to the boil, add the almonds and cook for 8 minutes. Strain the almonds through a sieve set over a heatproof bowl and leave to cool

Place some vegetable oil into a deep pan (enough to allow the almonds to fry, making sure the oil does not come up more than a third of the way up the sides of the pan). Preheat over a medium-high heat, or preheat a deep-fat fryer to 150°C. Set up a tray lined with kitchen paper for draining. Deep-fry the almonds until golden and crisp, drain well on kitchen paper and set aside to cool completely

Using a serrated bread knife, gently slice the puff pastry sheet widthways into 6 even-sized slices, working carefully to not shatter the pastry. Gently halve each slice horizontally (you should be able to loosen the pastry by hand or with the help of a spoon or spatula)

Generously pipe the crème fraîche mousse onto the bases, then top with the peach slices. Loosely pipe over the almond crème pâtissière leaving some gaps, then sprinkle over the candied almonds. Spoon over 2 teaspoons of the raspberries compote per mille-feuille then return the puff pastry lid back on top. Finish with a small sprinkling of flaky sea salt and serve individually or to share between 2 people