I have some extremely creative and talented “foodie” friends, some of them are chefs, some are not, and recently I was able to talk one of them into sharing a unique recipe here at Vanilla Lemonade.  So without further ado, I give you …Mat!

I’m no chef, I just like to play with my food! When I find something that I enjoy, I wonder wildly what variation of ingredients I can combine to make it my own! After my partner encouraged me to make him some quick Apple tarts he had seen made by a popular TV Chef, I decided to use the extra sheet of Puff Pastry dough to make palmiers for the first time. They came out wonderfully and my mind went to work on what else I could do to a palmier. Enter the Sweetly Savory and Blazin’ Bleu palmiers! I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.. And now I have a whole new option instead of crackers to pair with a cheese board, soups and salads!

Sweetly Savory Palmiers

Ingredients:

½ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
½ cup Sundried Tomates (the variety packed in oil)
½ cup fresh Basil leaves
1 tbsp Anchovy Paste
7 cloves of fresh Garlic
2 tbsp Clover Honey
1 tsp fresh cracked Pepper
¼ cup Olive Oil (for added flavor use the oil from the tomatoes)

1 sheet pre-packaged Puff Pastry dough ( recommend Pepperidge Farms)

Thaw your puff pastry sheets in the refrigerator overnight to ensure proper thawing. Puff Pastry dough should always be kept very cold. Work with it in short order to ensure the butter throughout the pastry does not melt; this will prevent the gorgeous “puff” that results when baked.

Place all ingredients (except puff pastry dough) in a food processor and process on high to finely chopped all ingredients. The resulting product should be a fine somewhat dry paste. Be sure to process long enough to gain a fine texture.

Take one sheet of Puff Pastry dough and place on a floured surface. Utilizing a rolling pin, roll to approximately 11.5” x 9.5”. Evenly spread the prepared filling over the puff pastry. Once spread, roll the pastry (using your fingers) from the top and bottom; meeting in the middle with evenly rolled ends. Compress the rolls together creating a cylindrical shape. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 45 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Once sufficiently chilled the pastry roll with be very firm to the touch, slice the roll in ¼” slices and place on baking sheet lined with parchment or silpat.

Bake palmiers for 11 minutes and flip to ensure caramelization on both sides. Bake for an additional 7-9 minutes. Remove the palmiers from the lined baking sheet and cool on rack.

Store in a sealed container to retain the fresh baked-ness! Enjoy the palmiers on their own or pair with a cheese course or salad.

Yields: 1 dozen

Blazin’ Bleu Palmiers

Ingredients:

¼ cup Sun-dried Tomatoes (variety packed in olive oil)
1 tbsp fresh Thyme leaves
¼ cup Olive Oil (for added flavor use the oil from the tomatoes)
1 tbsp Tomato paste
2 Green Onions
5 cloves of fresh Garlic
1 ½ tbsp of Sambal Oelek
2 oz. Blue Cheese (use a wedge to facilitate grating)

1 sheet pre-packaged Puff Pastry dough ( recommend Pepperidge Farms)

Thaw your puff pastry sheets in the refrigerator overnight to ensure proper thawing. Puff Pastry dough should always be kept very cold. Work with it in short order to ensure the butter throughout the pastry does not melt; this will prevent the gorgeous “puff” that results when baked.

Place the 2 ounces of bleu cheese wedge into the freezer. This step is crucial to ensuring a smooth grate.

Place all ingredients, except puff pastry dough and bleu cheese, in a food processor and process on high to finely chopped all ingredients. The resulting product should be a fine somewhat moist paste. Be sure to process long enough to gain a fine texture.

Take one sheet of Puff Pastry dough and place on a floured surface. Utilizing a rolling pin, roll to approximately 11.5” x 9.5”. Evenly spread the prepared filling over the puff pastry. Once spread grate the frozen bleu cheese evenly over the spread paste. Roll the pastry (using your fingers) from the top and bottom; meeting in the middle with evenly rolled ends. Compress the rolls together creating a cylindrical shape. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 45 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Once sufficiently chilled the pastry roll with be very firm to the touch, slice the roll in ¼” slices and place on baking sheet lined with parchment or silpat.

Bake palmiers for 11 minutes and flip to ensure caramelization on both sides. Bake for an additional 7-9 minutes. Remove the palmiers from the lined baking sheet and cool on a rack.

Store in a sealed container to retain the fresh baked-ness! Enjoy the palmiers on their own or pair with a cheese course or salad.

Yields: 1 dozen

Don’t these sound fantasmo- I loved that he was bending rules!!  Thanks Mat, for these most creative and scrumptious treat!!