I was 14 and my best friend Mireya was 16. She had just passed her driver’s test and became the designated driver for our huge group. She spent half of her time driving around in her red impala picking everyone up so that we could all hang out together. No more begging my father to drop me off at her house…or worse, trekking the 3 miles to see her, which I often did…nope, now we had an air conditioned ride.
With her newly minted driver’s license, she drove me to DC to get a fake ID. I was 14 but looked 25. Sneaking into clubs became a rite of passage that we quickly embraced and turned into our ritual every weekend. Endless hours of fun ensued as we drove to the beach, carnivals and parties…there were so many of us which meant that there was always something to do.
In order to pay for her car and her car insurance, Mireya started working at a young age, and one of her first jobs was working in a bakery on Flower Avenue in Silver Spring. One day she called me and asked if I wanted to go and hang out with her for a few hours while she worked her shift, so I did.
As we walked into the bakery my eyes quickly scanned the display cases where slices of cream filled cakes, éclairs and all kinds of cookies were piled high on huge trays. Mireya grinned as she saw my eyes widen with excitement. “Want something?” she asked, as if she didn’t know the answer to that question. I didn’t answer but simply pointed to an item in a display case that I absolutely had to have…
“That’s an elephant ear” she said, “and you’re going to love it!” It was huge – about 10 inches across of flaky, caramelized goodness. I’d never seen anything like it before. She handed me the cookie and I took my first bite. The crispy, caramelized exterior caved in over the tender, flaky pastry as I continued to take one bite after another. My new addiction had begun…
Years later, I learned to make them in culinary school when we made puff pastry from scratch. That’s all it is really, puff pastry dough and granulated sugar that bakes, puffs and caramelizes together. I usually add some cinnamon to mine and in other cultures, even honey is added to the outside of the puff pastry to enhance the caramelization during baking. This particular shape is also called a palmiers because it looks like a palm frond or an elephant ear because of their likeness to elephant ears…I have also heard them called papillon at times when they are made to look like butterflies.
I must say that the flavor is completely different and so much better when you use homemade puff pastry. Most store bough puff pastry is made with margarine or shortening and has very little, if any flavor. Going the extra mile and making it at home the right way with butter, creates a crispy yet oh so buttery cookie that will find you reaching for the next one before you have even finished the first.
Recently, I made some puff pastry with Michel Richard’s recipe, and just had to make some of these. I like to add both cinnamon and sugar to mine, but adding just sugar is fine too. They are great to keep around the Holidays because they have a good shelf life…that is if you can keep them from disappearing on the first day.
Puff Pastry Palmiers (makes about 2 dozen small pieces)
1 recipe homemade puff pastry
1-2 cups granulated sugar
*I add some cinnamon to the sugar which is optional
*Honey drizzled on the outside before baking is also optional
Follow the instructions on how to make the puff pastry and make sure that the dough is well chilled and rested before beginning the palmier. Roll out the dough into a large triangle…
Then coat both sides completely with granulated sugar…
Fold one side in and repeat with the other side…
Then fold each side inward again to create the classic palmier shape…
Make one last fold with one side on top of the other…
Cut the dough in half and then cut 6 pieces from each half….
Place the cut pieces onto a paper lined parchment tray, coat with more sugar or drizzle on some honey and bake at 350°C until they are golden brown. Allow them to cool completely and store in an airtight container.
Leave a Reply