August 6, 2009

Palmiers, TriColore French Tart (and the giveaway winner!)

I'm slowly getting around to posting my Bastille Day recipes and hope some of you will give them a shot. French food is delicious and doesn't have to be tricky. In fact, these palmiers are the easiest dessert I've made in a long time. And probably one of the most popular, too (I love when that works out!). Palmiers are a crunchy cookie that you can buy from any little bakery in Paris. They come in all sizes and are so simple to make. All you do is roll a sheet of thawed puff pastry in sugar (I added cinnamon for the health benefits, haha) and then roll it up into a log, slice, and bake. It's simple and delicious. I followed Ina's recipe and it worked out great.

If you are only baking for a few, you could just make one sheet's worth and make cheese straws with the rest (or apple turnovers, or tomato and goat cheese tarts, there's a lot of options with this stuff!) I also served them with a fruit tart that is easy to modify and so delicious. The rich pastry cream and fresh fruit really complimented the crunchy cookies. If you happen to have any leftover (not really going to happen in my house, but maybe your family has more self control) don't store them in an airtight container as they will soften. I'd recommend just baking off the amount you need and freezing the rest like I've seen Ina do. Then just keep them in the freezer for a last minute treat.

Yesterday I forgot to announce the winner of last weeks giveaway- Leslie M! Thanks everyone for the wonderful suggestions for summer dinners and ice cream flavors. I have work to do now!

Cinnamon Sugar Palmiers
adapted from Ina Garten

2 cups granulated sugar (I used less so there was less waste, but you could certainly use the remainder for cinnamon sugar on toast)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
2 sheets puff pastry, defrosted (just thaw it overnight in the fridge)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Combine the sugar, cinnamon, and kosher salt. Pour 1 cup of the sugar/salt mixture on a flat surface such as wooden board or marble. Unfold each sheet of puff pastry onto the sugar and pour 1/2 cup of the sugar mixture on top, spreading it evenly on the puff pastry. This is not about sprinkling, it's about an even covering of sugar.

With a rolling pin, roll the dough until it's 13 by 13-inches square and the sugar is pressed into the puff pastry on top and bottom. Fold the sides of the square towards the center so they go halfway to the middle. Fold them again so the two folds meet exactly at the middle of the dough. Then fold 1 half over the other half as though closing a book. You will have 6 layers. Slice the dough into 3/8-inch slices and place the slices, cut side up, on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Place the second sheet of pastry on the sugared board, sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar mixture, and continue as above. (There will be quite a bit of sugar left over on the board.) Slice and arrange on baking sheets lined with parchment.

Bake the cookies for 6 minutes until caramelized and brown on the bottom, then turn with a spatula and bake another 3 to 5 minutes, until caramelized on the other side. Transfer to a baking rack to cool.

Serve with ice cream for a delicious and simple dessert!

TriColore French Tart recipe here.

12 comments:

  1. I love palmiers!
    I used to get them at a bakery in Estonia and loved that they were called elephant ears. They are so easy too.
    The tart looks yummy!

    ReplyDelete
  2. YOur palmiers look great. I bet they were delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  3. YUM! They look so yummy! Love your new header too.

    ReplyDelete
  4. You make the palmiers sound so easy, I'm going to give it a try! Thought some of your readers might like to know something more about French cookies - all the store bought kind I'm afraid. But really, store bought cookies are pretty good in France. Your food looks great!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Those are pretty palmiers you got there

    ReplyDelete
  6. Isn't using the frozen puff pastry great? And I just love palmiers. The sweet as well as savory.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Lovely Palmiers! I need to try to make these sometime! :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wow, look at you Ann- I need to check your blog more for yummy ideas!! So glad you left a comment, I too saw your blog on Caralees and I have stopped by a few times to check up on you two. Congrats on the new little one! Your getting on my blog list now, so you better stay in touch!! Good luck on everything, cant wait to see pictures of your baby when the times comes cause your little boy is too cute!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love these so much that I just can't make them and have them around. yum!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love these palmiers! They look delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I am pretty sure I would weigh 500 pounds if I lived in your house - your whole blog just looks so DELICIOUS! I am super jealous of your culinary skills! Yum!

    ReplyDelete