Chef-owner Hue-Chan Karels calls this take on a classic mille-feuille, “the Napoleon-effect.” Instead of traditional puff pastry, Karels and Executive Chef Erica Tai spread shrimp paste between layers of Vietnamese artisan rice paper, fry them, add juicy sautéed scallops and calamari, and finish with a drizzle of Vietnamese beurre blanc and Asian herb oil. This recipe was part of the Santa Fe Wine & Chile Festival, and sommelier Marika Vida-Arnold chose to pair it with Hugel & Fils, Gentil, Alsace, France,
A Vietnamese Take on Mille-Feuille
The name “mille-fueille” translates to “a thousand sheets” in French, and it’s made of layered sheets of puff pastry. Because the French colonized Vietnam, many French culinary techniques have carried over to Southeast Asian cooking (banh mi comes from the introduction of baguette to Vietnam). So, Hue-Chan Karels and Erica Tai took inspiration from the fact that Southeast Asia has rice paper, which can easily be swapped in for puff pastry to make a usually sweet dessert into a savory meal.
Seafood Mille-Feuille Recipe
Seafood Mille-Feuille Ingredients
- Shrimp Mousse (see below)
- Mille-Feuille (see below)
- Vietnamese Beurre Blanc (see below)
- Vegetable oil
- Freshly ground white pepper
To Assemble your Seafood Mille Feuille
- Deep fry the shrimp paste sheet and sugar sheets in the fryer until golden brown.
- Sauté the scallops and calamari in vegetable oil over high heat, season with ground white pepper. Assemble the shrimp paste sheet at the bottom as the first layer, place scallops on next and then the sugar sheet. Top with the calamari and drizzle with the Vietnamese beurre blanc sauce.
Shrimp Mousse Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 tsp salt, separate into 3/4 tsp and
- 1/4 tsp
- 4 tsp cornstarch
- 4 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tsp fish sauce
- 4 tbsp garlic, minced and crushed into a paste
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 4 tbsp minced shallots
Instructions
- Toss the shrimp with 3/4 tsp salt in a colander for 5 minutes. Rinse under cold water and dry with a paper towel.
- Coarsely chop and place in a bowl. Add 1/4 tsp of salt, cornstarch, sugar, pepper, fish sauce, garlic, and shallot. Freeze for 30 minutes.
- Transfer to a food processor, add the canola oil, and process just until a coarse paste forms. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside for 15-30 minutes.
Mille Feuille Recipe
Ingredients
- Vietnamese spring roll rice paper, 16 sheets
- (8 sheets for shrimp paste paper, 8 sheets for sugar crispy rice paper)
- Simple syrup (sugar with water 1:1 ratio)
- 12 oz scallop (or whole bay scallop)
- 12 oz calamari, tubes and tentacles
Instructions
- Place about 2-3 tbsp of shrimp mousse onto a sheet of spring roll rice paper, but only apply the paste onto half of the surface. Fold the sheet over and spread the mixture so it covers the entire spring roll rice paper. You can pat it with the back of your knife to spread. Set it aside. Repeat with the remaining shrimp paste.
- To make the middle layer (crispy spring roll rice paper): Place a sheet of spring roll rice paper on the table. Brush it with simple syrup front and back. Let sit for a couple seconds until the paper is soft enough to be folded into a square (folded twice). Set aside. Repeat with the remaining 8 sheets of rice paper.
- Prep seafood: scallops in two, horizontally, set aside. Cut the calamari tubes into rings. Cut the tentacles into 3 inches length.
Vietnamese Beurre Blanc Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, unsalted
- 1/4 cup sliced green onion
- 2 tbsp white wine
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
Instructions
- Place the butter in a skillet over low medium heat. Do not overheat the butter. Add in the green onion and stir until aromatic.
- Deglaze with the white wine and add in fish sauce. Turn the heat off and stir until well-combined.
Story and Styling by Julia Platt Leonard / Photography by Daniel Quat / Dinnerware Courtesy of Wild Life Santa Fe
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