Palmiers with Strawberries & Crème Fraîche

Name: Palmiers with Strawberries & Crème Frâiche
Yield: 20
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: Castor sugar, for sprinkling; 375g butter puff pastry, rolled about 4mm thick; Crème frâiche, for serving; Sliced strawberries, for serving; Icing sugar, for dusting

These easy French palm leaf shaped pastries are quick, versatile and delicious. The secret to palmiers is to use good butter puff pastry, not one made with margarine or other commercial fats; Carême brand is available in many delis and specialty stores and it’s handy to keep a roll or two in the freezer (see video below for another easy French dessert using ready-rolled puff pastry). Palmiers, also called elephant ears or prussiens, are great with any fruit, cream or ice cream. Use palmiers to dress up a dessert or just dust them with icing sugar to have with coffee or tea. I serve them for dessert sandwiched with sliced strawberries and crème frâiche (ideally Pepe Saya), and love an Alsatian eau-de-vie with them, such as the framboise sauvage (wild raspberry) or kirsch (cherry) from Distillerie Bertrand, for a perfect finish to a meal. Store any leftover palmiers, without icing sugar, in an airtight container for up to a week.

Makes about 20 pieces

Ingredients

Castor sugar, for sprinkling
375g butter puff pastry, rolled about 4mm thick
Crème frâiche, for serving
Sliced strawberries, for serving
Icing sugar, for dusting

Method

Preheat oven to 220°C.
Lightly sprinkle castor sugar on a clean, dry bench and place pastry sheet on top.
Sprinkle generously with castor sugar.
Fold the long sides of the pastry in so that they meet in the middle. Press gently and sprinkle generously with castor sugar.
Fold in half again to give a long strip of four layers of pastry. Press gently and sprinkle generously with castor sugar, flip over and sprinkle the other side generously with castor sugar.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Using a sharp knife, trim off the ends then cut into 1cm thick pieces and place on a baking paper-lined baking tray, spreading them open slightly to form a “V” and leaving space between them to expand.
Bake for 8 minutes, remove from oven, turn them over and sprinkle with castor sugar.
Bake for a further 8-12 minutes, until crisp and golden. Depending on your oven, some may brown quicker than others; if this happens, remove them as they brown and cook the remaining ones for a minute or 2 longer.
Remove to a wire rack to cool.
Place a palmier on each serving plate, top with a little crème frâiche, add strawberry slices and more crème frâiche then another palmier.
Dust palmiers with icing sugar, add a small piece of strawberry and serve.