These Savory Palmiers are very simple h’ors doevres that can be made ahead, or just a few minutes before taking them into hot and flavorful appetizers. Puffy pastry is so easy to work with. This recipe is versatile, where you can interchange the kind of cheese you prefer to use. This version has basil pesto, sun-dried tomatoes and feta cheese– or you can use goat cheese.
On most Fridays, Craig and I look forward to having an end-of-the-week cocktail (usually an ice cold beer) and some a tapas style dinner. I prefer to make something that doesn’t take much time to put together, but has enough sustenance to count as dinner– sometime a side salad rounds out the meal perfectly.
Puff pastry is such a versatile product to work with. I have no desire to make puff pastry from scratch! I let Pepperidge Farm do all of the work! I’ve made Ina Garten’s easy Cheese Danish, which was a big hit with all of us. I’ve also made Raspberry Palmiers, which are my son’s favorite. For Christmas, this year, I made Salmon En Croute (or you could call it Salmon Wellington) with Cremini Duxelles. The Duxelles are so easy to make, and we loved them. I had extra Duxelles that I decided to freeze, I decided to see if the Duxelles would thaw well and make an easy filling for pinwheel style h’ors doevres.
To make Ina Garten’s Savory Palmiers, toast some pine nuts and I lightly rolled out a sheet of puff pastry. I like to thaw my puff pastry, overnight, in the fridge. I’ve done quick thaws on my counter, too. Either way, I try to keep the pastry chilled enough so that it puffs up nicely once the pastry hits a hot oven.
The top left photo shows mounds of thawed Duxelles. I know what you might be thinking– it’s not pretty. It could, potentially, resemble something an animal left that is having some intestinal difficulties. ‘Nuff said. Cremini mushrooms, thyme, white wine, shallots and parsley… mmmmm. Delicious!
With another sheet of puff pastry, I made Ina Garten’s recipe. I make my own pesto, that I freeze and/or store in a glass jar in the refrigerator. After slathering a layer of pesto, add the toasted pine nuts (which I almost burned… so watch the dry roasting in a pan very closely). Sprinkle some chopped sun-dried tomatoes. You can use goat cheese, but I much prefer fresh feta. (I opted not to add salt, which was a wise decision.) So, that’s what I used. If you aren’t sure how to roll up palmiers, I show you how here.
After a rough week, on a Friday night, I’m not going for perfection in how I rolled them. These are for a private party of two people, and we aren’t fussy. Slice them up and put them into a preheated oven at 400F for about 14 minutes. I would check these sooner, because it depends on your oven and the thickness of your slices.
I am happy to report that the Duxelles are excellent rolled up in puff pastry! C’mon, how could it not be? We really loved the combo of sun-dried tomatoes, pest and toasted pine nuts. I did not feel that salt was missing at all.
I look forward to having home grown tomatoes again. I still love Ina’s Tomato and Three Cheese Tart— which is also made with puff pastry.
My husband appreciates everything that I make. We really enjoy our quiet little Happy Hours at home. I hope you try these sometime– while they’re a bit indulgent on butter, we whip up a small batch of these as an occasional treat.
Easy Make Ahead Savory Palmier Appetizers
Ingredients
Homemade Pesto (optional, jarred pesto is fine):
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 1/4 cup pignolis* *NOTE: I used all pignolis/pine nuts
- 3 tablespoons chopped garlic 9 cloves
- 5 cups fresh basil leaves packed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups good olive oil
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
For the Palmiers:
- 1 package frozen puff pastry thawed
- 1/4 cup prepared pesto store bought or homemade (recipe above)
- 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese such as Montrachet (I used feta cheese)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil drained
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
- Kosher salt optional
Instructions
For the pesto:
- Place the walnuts, pignolis, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 30 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is finely pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Serve, or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top. Yield: 4 cups
For the Palmiers:
- Lightly flour a board and carefully unfold one sheet of puff pastry. Roll the pastry lightly with a rolling pin until it's 9 1/2 by 11 1/2-inches. Spread the sheet of puff pastry with half the pesto, then sprinkle with half the goat (or feta) cheese, half the sundried tomatoes, and half the pine nuts. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional, as I didn't need it). Working from the short ends, fold each end halfway to the center. Then fold each side again towards the center until the folded edges almost touch. Fold one side over the other and press lightly. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Repeat the entire instructions for the second sheet of puff pastry using the remaining ingredients. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut the prepared rolls of puff pastry in 1/4 inch thick slices and place them face up 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for 14 minutes, until golden brown.
- Serve warm.
Notes
Aren't husband's wonderfully handy? I know mine is and I appreciate him everyday.
I've been wanting to make savory palmiers, but somehow I always choose something else because I worry about how they will look. Yours look perfect, just like Ina's. You've inspired me to give them a try. I know they would be a hit at a party.
Sam
I love Ina's Cheese Danishes which are a staple around here when I have company. Glad your oven is working and you are back "in business" again tout suite.Having tapas on a Friday night sounds like a keeper…sure beats the beans on toast I had every Friday night growing up:D
Your palmiers look so tempting for a tapas table. All I would need is a glass of wine.
Glad to hear your oven is fixed! It's incredible to see how much we depend on appliances when one of them quits working! And the palmiers look fantastic, made me hungry for some!
So glad to hear your husband is a handy man. So nice that he could come to your rescue and fix your oven. My husband is also great at fixing anything and I adore that about him. In fact, the kids and I have a special counter where we place all the things that need fixing:D
I've always wanted to make Ina's palmiers. I know they were delicious and a perfect way to bring in the weekend with your husband!
I can vouch for this recipe from Ina. It's delicious! And I'm happy to read that your oven is operating once again. What a talented hubby!
Isn't frozen puff pastry the best invention ever? I always have a box in the freezer.
Love those handy husbands!
Beautiful palmiers.
I also love Ina's cinnamon rolls, they are the BEST!
Have a great weekend Deb!
Oh you're palmiers look so good. I too have a handy husband. Not only can he fix things but he also goes grocery shopping with me every Saturday. As Ina would say "How good is that?"
You've done Ina proud. These look fantastic and I know they are a wonderful treat. It's good to see your oven is back in working order.
You've done Ina proud. These look fantastic and I know they are a wonderful treat. It's good to see your oven is back in working order.
oh my! these look so good. Glad your oven is fixed. lucky girl.
My hubby is also mechanically inclined, and has fixed a lot of things around here for me. It's good to have that kind of man around. Don't you just love Ina Garten?!
WOW, these look amazing and delicious. This is something I have not ventured to try as of yet, but maybe one of these days I will. Thanks for sharing, they make me hungry just to look at the pictures!
I'm afraid my oven too will be over in a very short time …..
Your palmiers look so delicious!!!!Yammy!!
Ciao from Rome!!!
I really liked Ina's palmiers when I made them–easy and very tasty too.