BBQ Millefeuille

I've had visions for a BBQ millefeuille for quite a while now. It all started about a year ago when I received an email from the lovely Meg Zimbeck of Paris By Mouth, an excellent resource for great eats and fine wines in Paris. They were my go-to site when I first moved to Paris to attend pastry school last summer. I had submitted my name to
participate in a giveaway that Meg was running back then - a dinner reservation at Le Chateaubriand - and Meg had written to inform me that I had won the much coveted slot to dine in one of the world's Top 50 restaurants. I learnt that Meg used to live in Kansas City and what more, her home was only a stone's throw away from our former apartment in Overland Park, Kansas. A small world indeed. We exchanged several emails, I asked Meg if we could find authentic KC BBQ in Paris (after all, what were the odds of finding another Kansas Citian from Johnson county, Kansas in Paris?!), Meg replied that there was none and jokingly said I could be the first to start a BBQ joint in Paris. I wrote back and said I might just create a KC Masterpiece BBQ millefeuille one day. So, a year later, I did.

 BBQ Pulled-pork Millefeuille with BBQ Baked Beans and Spicy BBQ Sauce

 We adapted the recipe for the pulled pork from here but instead of making the sauce from scratch like we usually do, we just used this:

I liked the crisp flakiness of the puff pastry (I had some leftover pâte feuilletée but you could easily get store-bought ones and if you do, just make sure you get the ones made with butter) and although the crumbs can be messy (as can the sauce), I think it makes for a unique alternative to the traditional pulled pork sandwich. Oven-baked potato chips will be a good substitute for the puffed pastry as well; something to try the next time. It's best to serve the millefeuille in a bowl (vs. a plate) and to minimize the mess plus to ensure I get every bit into my bite, I used a spoon instead of a fork. Minor details but they make all the difference.

I find myself incorporating more and more savory flavors into what I make these days. I'm not sure if it's due to a personal sugar "burnt out" but blurring the lines between sweet and savory can be quite exciting. A future trend, perhaps?
I've been physically and at times, emotionally drained of late, juggling between the new business, household chores, family obligations and still trying to carve time to have some summertime fun. While that means this blog is poorly neglected, I'm glad to be able to focus on growing the business. It's emotionally fulfilling and the challenge at hand for me is to even out the peaks and valleys of the business, surprisingly, with the latter being an easier fix if one's not too picky. However, I believe sticking to the vision, staying true to the mission and passion, knowing your target market and remaining consistently focused instead of wanting to be all to all is the key to success.

A belated Happy 4th of July and an early Joyeux quatorze juillet tout le monde!