A French classic

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (top/bottom heat) (or 180°C fan-assisted). Place a rectangular sheet of puff pastry on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Prick several times with a fork. Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes. After 10 minutes, cover the puff pastry with baking paper and place a second baking sheet on top to prevent the dough from rising too much.
2. Remove the top sheet. Transfer the puff pastry, including the baking paper, to a wire rack and let cool, then cut into 4 equal pieces. Divide each piece into thirds to create 3 layers of pastry per serving. For the cream, heat the milk in a saucepan over medium heat without boiling, and dissolve 50 grams of powdered sugar. Scrape out the seeds from the vanilla bean and add them.
3. Beat the egg yolks until frothy. Stir in the cornstarch a teaspoon at a time. Pour in the warm milk, stirring constantly. Return the mixture to the saucepan and simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens to a creamy consistency. Transfer the cream to a bowl and, covered with plastic wrap, let it cool in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, whip the cream with the vanilla sugar until stiff. Remove the cream from the refrigerator and stir in the whipped cream.
4. Spread half of the vanilla cream evenly onto 4 puff pastry sheets using a spatula. Place another sheet on top of each sheet and press down lightly. Spread the remaining cream on top and cover with the last sheet.