Palmiers aux noisettes

( Hazelnut palmiers )

It wasn’t until I began working in a bakery that I actually tried one of these simple, heart-shaped pastries. Compared to all the other brightly coloured, decadent-looking alternatives that lined the shelves of pâtisseries, I thought they looked a little sad and boring. I finally relented and tried one and was so surprised to find how clever they actually were — light and subtly flavoured and filled with layers of crystallised sugar. Nowadays, palmiers come in all manner of sizes and flavours, from the traditional sugared ones to those filled with jam, and even some savoury versions.

For this recipe I’ve used a filling of soft chocolate and hazelnut spread, sprinkled with roasted hazelnuts, which not only brings an additional layer of texture but also gives the pastries a slightly more rustic edge. If you don’t want to make your own hazelnut spread, then buy a good-quality praline or hazelnut paste and not the more readily available versions that are high in sugar and fat, as these don’t hold up as well during baking.

Makes about 25

note : You will need to give an additional single turn to the puff pastry, to refine the layers of pastry and to stop the palmier from expanding excessively during the baking process.

150 g (5¼ oz) raw hazelnuts, roasted and skinned (see tip)

1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) cold Puff Pastry, 6 single turns

300 g (10¼ oz) Hazelnut and Chocolate Spread

L Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Wrap the skinned hazelnuts in a clean cloth, then smash the nuts in the cloth with the base of a heavy-based saucepan until coarsely crushed. Set the nuts aside.

L Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface into a 4 mm (¹/₈ in) thick rectangle measuring 40 x 50 cm (16 x 20 in). Remember to keep moving the dough and dust with extra flour when necessary so that it doesn’t stick to your work surface. If you haven’t achieved a perfectly shaped rectangle with your rolling pin towards the end of the rolling process, simply stretch and pull the dough into shape using your hands.

L Using a flat spatula, spread the hazelnut and chocolate paste evenly over the pastry, right to the edges, then sprinkle with the crushed hazelnuts. Don’t be tempted to apply a thicker layer; the palmier is made of four layers of pastry, so if the hazelnut spread is too thick the dough won’t cook properly, and there’s nothing worse than undercooked puff pastry! With one long side of the rolled-out dough (abaisse) facing you, use your hands to roll the two long sides of the pastry towards each other to meet in the middle. Fold the bottom half over the top to form a log. If the pastry is too soft to handle, refrigerate it for 30 minutes, or until firm.

L Line two baking trays with baking paper. Using a large knife, cut the roll into 2 cm (³/₄ in) thick slices and place on the lined trays, leaving a 10 cm (4 in) gap between each as they are going to double in size during cooking. As you will need to cook the palmiers in batches, it is a good idea to refrigerate the remaining pastries while the first batch is cooking.

L Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 160°C (320°F) and bake for another 30 minutes, or until the bottom of the pastries are golden brown. Puff pastry needs an initial burst of heat to develop, but the majority of the cooking time is designed to dry it up as much as possible. If the tops darken too fast, cover loosely with a piece of foil. Repeat with the remaining pastries. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 1 hour before serving.

roasting and skinning hazelnuts

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Put the hazelnuts on a baking tray and roast for 10–15 minutes, or until they begin to turn dark brown. Use a spatula to move the nuts around every 5 minutes or so. Every oven cooks differently, so keep an eye on them, especially towards the end of cooking. Remove from the oven and when cool enough to handle, roll the hazelnuts around in your hands to rub off the skins.