Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Parmesan and Prosciutto Palmiers

These are really yummy, and pretty!  They also make great appetizers.  I made them this past weekend and even the little kids liked them.  They kept calling them "spiral pizzas."

Palmiers are a cute little French "cookie" made of puff-pastry.  They're sometimes called Elephant Ears and are usually rolled in sugar before baking.  I decided to try something a little different.  There are so many different things you could do with the palmiers.  I think pesto would be awesome, goat cheese, really the sky is the limit.

I decided to go with tomato paste, parmesan and prosciutto.  And, they were a HUGE hit.  So, lets get started!

Ingredients:
- 1 sheet puff pastry (I used store bought because I didn't have time to make my own...and it turned out great)
- 4 tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 tbsp. water
- 1/4 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 6-8 thin slices prosciutto
- flour for rolling

Directions:

1. Let the puff pastry thaw.  This should take roughly 8 hours in the refridgerator, and a lot less time out of the fridge.  If you thaw it outside of the fridge, pop it back in for about 15 minutes prior to using so that it can harden up a little.  Its easier to use if it's cold.

2.  Roll the pastry out to approximently 13 inches square.  If you buy the Pepperidge Farm brand, you really don't have to roll much. If there are holes in your pastry, it doesn't really matter too much, just pinch them together and roll them shut. 

3.  Spread the tomato paste on the puff pastry, followed by the Prosciutto, and lastly spread on the parmesan cheese.


4. Starting on one end, roll tightly until you get to the middle.  Then, do the same with the other side.  You should get something that looks like this:


Put that in the fridge for about 20 minutes to stiffen up a little, this will make it a lot easier to cut.

5.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Cut 1/4" pieces off  and lay on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. 



6.  Before tossing them into the oven, place another sheet of parchment paper over them.  This will help to ensure that they don't rise too much, or unravel during baking.  Take the paper off about half-way into baking so that the tops can get a nice brown color.  They'll bake around 8 minutes.  Then you end up with these delicious little treats:



I hope you make these!  You'll definitely enjoy them, and so will your family!


1 comment:

  1. So pretty and easy to make! Great appetizers!

    ReplyDelete