Palmiers.

I watch a lot of cookery shows on T.V.  I'm pretty sure I watch more than most normal people do.  There is something so fabulously entertaining about watching people prepare the most delicious foods and nodding to myself, thinking 'I should put that on my list of things to make.', then never making them.  But no fewer than five times this week have I seen different people making 'palmiers' (which is sort of pronounced par-mee-ays) and they are so ridiculously easy to make that I really just had to.

I did things the easiest way possible, because that's how I roll.  I used ready-rolled puff pastry, which I probably should've rolled out a little flatter, but hey, it's all trial and error.  The best thing about palmiers is that you can put whatever you like in them and the magic combination of tomato, cheese and meat never fails to satisfy, particularly in my house.

I used a red pesto, smothered it all over the pastry and sprinkled over mozzarella and a Caribbean-inspired cheddar with mango, red chilli and jerk seasoning.  Then I tore up a few slices of prosciutto (I know, how fancy) and put them on top of the cheese, trying to make sure that there would be a little bit in each slice.  Then came the folding!

One fold!

Two folds!  In hindsight (and if I'd actually followed a recipe, I think it would've told me this) I should've done one more fold so that one loop was on top of the other.  That would've made it much easier to slice.  Next time!  After slicing them about 1cm thick, I laid them on a tray with baking paper and got them ready for the oven.

I baked these for about twenty minutes in a preheated oven, about 200 degrees C (400 degrees F) and they smelled amazing.  Again, in hindsight (hindsight is such a great thing!) I should've spaced these little pastry goodies a little further apart because they do puff up, quite a lot, and they got a little bit wedged together.  The pastry was cooked properly all the way around but it was a little less flaky in some places.

S and I are hoping to have a little get-together with his family and our friends on Christmas eve this year and I'm definitely planning on making some of these for the occasion.  I'd like to make two batches, one savoury and one with cinnamon sugar for a sweet treat!

Have you been cooking up anything scrumptious?  Is there anything you're planning on making for the holidays?  Hope you're having a wonderful weekend.

Love, K.