Tompouce

Ingredients

Pastry

• 500 gall-butter puff pastry
• a little flour, for rolling

Crème pâtissière

• 500 mlwhole milk
• 1vanilla pod, split
• 5egg yolks
• 100 gcaster sugar
• 40 gcornflour
• 30 gbutter

To lighten

• 150 mldouble cream, whipped
• 1leaf of gelatine, softened, optional

Icing

• 250 gicing sugar
• 2 tablespoonshot water
• pink food colouring
• or orange colouring, for King’s Day

Directions

1. Pour the milk into a pan with the split vanilla pod. Bring it slowly to just below a simmer. Take it off the heat and let it infuse for ten minutes. Whisk the yolks and sugar together in a bowl. Whisk until the mixture is pale and thick. Sift in the cornflour and whisk it smooth.
2. Pour the hot milk over the yolks in a thin stream. Whisk constantly as you pour it in. Adding it too fast will scramble the yolks. Return the whole thing to the pan. Cooking the custard needs constant attention. Set it over a medium heat and whisk without stopping. It will thicken suddenly after a few minutes.
3. Keep whisking hard as it thickens. Let it bubble for a full minute once thick. That minute cooks out the taste of the cornflour. Take it off the heat and beat in the butter. Press cling film directly onto the surface. That contact stops a skin forming as it cools.
4. Chill it for at least three hours. Baking the pastry needs a weight on top. Heat the oven to 200C with a shelf in the middle. Roll the puff pastry to about three millimetres thick. Cut it into two equal rectangles. Lay them on baking sheets lined with paper. Prick them all over with a fork. Lay another sheet of paper over each one.
5. Set a second baking tray on top as a weight. That weight is what keeps the layers flat and even. Bake them for about twenty minutes. Take the top tray off for the last five minutes. The pastry should be deep golden and completely crisp.
6. Let both sheets cool completely on a rack. Making the icing takes two minutes. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Add the hot water a little at a time. Stir until it is thick, smooth and just pourable. It should coat the back of a spoon heavily. Add colouring a drop at a time until it is pale pink. Bakery tompouce icing is a soft pink rather than bright.
7. Set one pastry sheet on a rack over a tray. Pour the icing over it and spread it to the edges. Work fast because it sets within a few minutes. Let it set completely before you cut it.
8. Cut the iced sheet into eight rectangles with a hot knife. Whisk the chilled custard smooth with a spatula. Fold the whipped cream through it gently. The gelatine helps it hold its shape if you use it. Spoon or pipe a thick layer onto the plain pastry sheet.
9. Make it at least two centimetres deep. A thin tompouce is not a tompouce. Cut the base sheet into eight matching rectangles. Set an iced top onto each filled base. Do not press down or the cream will squeeze out. Chill them for thirty minutes to firm the cream. Eat them with a fork if you want to stay clean.

Technique

• The Belgian version is called tompoes and is usually square, and Belgian bakeries often ice it white rather than pink.
• The orange King’s Day version appears in Dutch shops in the weeks around 27 April.

Substitutions

• Ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry works perfectly and is what most home bakers use.
• Instant custard powder makes a quicker filling, though it is noticeably less rich.

Variations

• Some bakeries fill it with whipped cream alone rather than custard.
• Orange icing appears for King’s Day and during major football tournaments.
• A version with a layer of jam under the cream is sold in some regions.

History

Named after the dwarf performer Tom Thumb, who toured Europe in the 1850s; the icing turns orange for King’s Day.

Frequently asked questions

What is Tompouce?

Tompouce is a dessert from Netherlands: two sheets of puff pastry with cream between and pink icing on top. Named after the dwarf performer Tom Thumb, who toured Europe in the 1850s; the icing turns orange for King’s Day.

How long does Tompouce take to make?

Tompouce takes 40 minutes plus chilling of preparation and 25 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes 8 pastries. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Tompouce?

Yes, within limits. Ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry works perfectly and is what most home bakers use. Instant custard powder makes a quicker filling, though it is noticeably less rich.

What is the most important thing to get right in Tompouce?

Pour the hot milk over the yolks in a thin stream. Whisk constantly as you pour it in. Adding it too fast will scramble the yolks. Return the whole thing to the pan. Cooking the custard needs constant attention. Set it over a medium heat and whisk without stopping. It will thicken suddenly after a few minutes.