Thursday 20 January 2011

Palmiers



I can't quite believe it has been fifteen days since my last post. I've been very busy but more than that I've been finding it hard to write. Usually this happens with essays rather than posts. With essays I just have to push through but this time it was nice that I could just step back for a few days.

Some really exciting things have happened in this break. I can't explain everything, but suffice to say that  my baking has taken a step towards the professional. Not only have I got some exciting new projects but a few days ago I was accepted onto the patisserie program at a culinary school I won't mention until everything is finalised...


Over the holidays I decided to make my own puff pastry. I loved the whole process - all the foldings, rolling out and resting. It does take time but it was a great learning process. Especially at the moment I don't have time to make it often, but I look forward to being able to once my finals are over.

I'm not going to type out the recipe I used for the puff below, but I used Tartelette's recipe here in conjunction with the pictures from her gluten free version. It worked wonderfully.



The final push that got me to try making puff was how much my mum loves palmiers (or as our local bakery calls them, coeur de france). They're incredibly simple to make and really delicious. I think the best bit is how the sugar caramelises on the bottoms of each one. It's not really a recipe - more of a technique. Have a look at Joy's comprehensive photos if you're confused at any point.



Palmiers
(adapted from Joy the Baker, here)

1 block of all-butter puff pastry (I used about 300g)
plenty of granulated sugar (perhaps 200g or so)

Line a big tray or two with greaseproof paper. Sprinkle a work surface liberally with the granulated sugar. Place the puff into the middle and sprinkle the top with a little more. Start rolling it out into a rectangle with a thickness of about 3 - 4 mm. Keep adding sugar as you roll it out to stop it sticking. Starting from the short end of your rectangle, start rolling it up until it reaches the middle. Repeat for the other side. Wrap this roll in clingfilm and chill for an hour (the sugar can liquify a bit - this is OK).

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Take the roll out of the fridge and slice with a sharp knife into 1cm thick slices. Place onto the lined sheet (you can dip the tops/bottoms in extra sugar too). Bake for 12-17 minutes until they are golden brown, checking carefully. You may need to rotate the tray halfway through. If you've greased your pan, remove the palmiers to a wire rack after a few minutes. If lined then you can leave them to cool on the tray.

Store in an airtight tin/box, best on the first day once cooled - start to get stale at 3-4 days.

(I made about 16 out of 1/4 of my puff)

UPDATED 26/11/17 - I made these with my homemade rough puff from this foundations post and used caster sugar instead of granulated. I also rolled up from the long edges so I had smaller ones with less of a swirl. I used about 200g (1/3 of the rough puff recipe) and made about 16 smaller ones. I've also previously tried sprinkling a bit of ground cardamon over the sugared dough before rolling up before, which was lovely. Next time I'm going to try a touch of salt on top before baking.


12 comments:

  1. Some of my favorite cookies growing up :). I used to buy 3 boxes at a time from the Chinese store. They're so simple and delicious, I don't know why I haven't tried to make them myself. Thanks for the recipe!

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  2. Jeni -Emma's mum20 January 2011 at 21:37

    When Emma made these I put 3 in the freezer hoping that they would come out just good enough to remind me of how delicious they were.

    I took one out this evening and it was fantastic! Just as good as when it went in nearly a month ago!

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  3. Love palmiers! So crispy and yum.

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  4. That hint of caramel is the best part. Also the crisp-flaky pastry. Also the hot chocolate you have to have with them. Oh, all right, everything about these is the best!

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  5. These look beautiful, like little smiles gazing up at you.

    Fantastic news about your course... oh to be in my twenties again, why didn't I want to do these things when I was free to go and do it?!

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  6. Making these for my grandfathers birthday as we speak. I hope they ship well. They smell and look yummy! Thanks Rachel

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  7. I made my own puff pastry too last December. 30+ degree days and pastry is not the best combination however it did mean that the butter was soft enough to handle.

    Did your forearms ache the day after? Mine did.

    I turned mine into pork and fennel sausage rolls, beef wellington and a chicken, eggplant and mushroom pie.

    I'm waiting until after my thesis is due in to make more.

    Congrats on the patisserie school acceptance!! I was accepted too into a program here but couldn't make enrolment day so i missed out. It's okay as I was offered a diploma in education as well so I'm off to be a science teacher who can bake!

    Good luck!

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  8. An absolutely delightful blog , to read and drool:-)
    So good to be here at the month of love , oh yeah love is sooo in the air*365!
    Happyday!
    The patisserie program at a culinary school rocks , congrats and all the best!

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  9. Congratulations on your acceptance to pastry school--I can't wait to read all about it! I made puff pastry last year, for the first time since I was at culinary school, and I really enjoyed the rolling and resting, especially as the weather wasn't very nice the day I made it. I did not use it to make palmiers, though, so it looks like I need to find the time to make another batch. They look perfect and delicious.
    :)

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  10. Congrats on your great news Emma!!! You are going to knock their socks off!!

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  11. divine recipe... and so easy! can't wait to enjoy them with tea later!

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  12. These are wonderfully easy to make and big on taste! You simply couldn't ask for anything more! They are sweet and buttery all at the same time! Love love love it!!

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