Hungarian Cream Pastry (Krémes)

Preheat your oven to 200°C (390°F). Roll out both sheets of puff pastry to fit your baking tray (approx. 30x40 cm or 12x16 inches). Prick one sheet all over with a fork and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and crispy. For the second sheet, you can bake it whole and then cut it into serving-sized squares immediately after baking, or bake it whole and cut later. Let both cool completely.

In a large bowl, whisk together the 8 egg yolks, 150g (0.6 cup) of granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, and cornstarch with about 200ml (0.8 cup) of the milk until smooth.

Heat the remaining 1.3 liters (5.5 cups) of milk with the remaining 200g (0.9 cup) of granulated sugar in a large pot over medium heat until it just begins to simmer. Slowly pour about a third of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly to temper the eggs. Then, pour the tempered egg mixture back into the pot with the remaining hot milk. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring continuously with a whisk, for 10-15 minutes until the cream thickens considerably. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

In a separate, very clean bowl, whip the 8 egg whites until stiff peaks form.

Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the warm custard cream in batches until fully incorporated and the cream is light and airy.

Place the first baked puff pastry sheet (the one you didn't pre-cut) into your baking tray or a similar-sized dish. Pour the warm cream evenly over the pastry. Carefully place the second, pre-cut pastry sheet (or the whole one, which you'll cut later) on top of the cream. Press down very gently. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours, or preferably overnight, to allow the cream to set.

Once thoroughly chilled and set, dust the top with powdered sugar. If you baked the top pastry whole, use a sharp, serrated knife to cut the Krémes into individual squares. Serve cold.