This article was written for Annabel & Grace, which is now part of Rest Less.
Palmiers come in sweet and savoury flavours – Husband’s personal fave is the large sugar laden version found in every French patisserie. Palmier comes from the French for palm tree and they are also sometimes called elephant ears, French hearts, shoe-soles or glasses. In the Puerto Rican version, they are topped with honey and in Mexico, they are known as orejas (ears). Personally, I love to knock up a batch of mini palmiers using anchovies as they make a very popular canape (for very little effort!)
Anchovy Palmiers
Ingredients
250g ready made puff pastry
1 egg, beaten
50g can anchovies, drained
4 heaped tbsp finely grated parmesan
Method
If a block of pastry, roll out to a 24 x 26cm rectangle. Brush with a little egg and place 4 spaced-out rows of anchovies over the pastry, parallel to the longest sides. Sprinkle the Parmesan between the rows. Roll up the pastry from each long side to meet in the middle, brushing with a little egg to help it stick. Wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes. Using a very sharp knife, cut into thin slices. Place slices a little apart on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Bake for 12-15 mins until the pastry is crisp and golden.
Tip: Make ahead either by covering the uncooked palmiers with cling film and chilling for up to 24 hrs or freezing until you need them.
Sundried tomato and rosemary palmiers
Substitute the anchovies for 280g/10oz jar drained and finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes, with a few chopped fresh rosemary leaves.
Parma Ham & Parmesan palmiers
Substitute the anchovies with Dijon mustard and 6 slices of Parma ham.
You can also use tapenade or pesto…. the filling choices are only limited to your imagination!