First prepare the cherries with the Commandaria: Split the cherries and remove the stones. Put the jam in a large pan, add the sugar and stir over the fire until the sugar melts. Add the cherries, lower the heat and stir often for 2-3 minutes until they begin to release their juice. Add the Commandaria and continue to stir for another 1-2 minutes until the cherries soften. Leave to cool and put in the fridge to chill.
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Open the puff pastry sheets, and cut them in the middle (their short side will now become their long side). Pierce several times with a fork in many places and bake in 2 batches for 15 minutes in the oven, on a tray covered with non-stick paper. Remove and leave to cool.
Prepare the mastic cream: Bring the milk with the mastic to a boil in a saucepan. In a large bowl beat the eggs, sugar, flour and vanilla with a whisk until it is smooth and without lumps. Then add the hot milk little by little, continuing to beat with the whisk. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and continue to stir with a whisk until it begins to bubble and the cream thickens (do not allow to boil because it will curdle). Pour the cream through a strainer into a bowl, to separate the mastic and possible lumps and leave to cool.
Put a baked piece of puff pastry on a large platter or tray. Spread about 1/3 of the cream with a spatula and then cover with more puff pastry. Press gently to stick and continue the layers, ending with puff pastry. Smooth the sides and put the millefeuilles in the freezer for 1 hour to set. Then cut into rectangles (without removing from the tray or the serving platter) and sprinkle with icing sugar. Serve with cherries in Commandaria (and roasted, sliced almonds, if using).
Ingredients
1 packet puff pastry (850g) divided into 2 sheets
2 litres (8 cups) milk
8 eggs (keep ½ hour outside the fridge before using)
2 ½ cups sugar
3 cups flour
1 tsp vanilla
3 pieces of mastic
Sieved icing sugar
for sprinkling
Roasted, sliced almonds (optional)
Cherries with commandaria Ingredients:
700g big, black cherries
2 tbsps cherry jam (without pieces of fruit)
6 tbsps sugar
½ cup Commandaria
