Recipe: Easy Palmiers recipe and information (Emeril's)

ELEPHANT EARS
By Lorin Gaudin

One of my fondest childhood memories is going to the bakery with my grandmother. Not a big baker herself, fresh rye bread, cookies and other baked goods were very much a part of her household. Heaven forbid if there wasn't a fresh coffee cake to serve guests or her card group.

I always loved the smell of the bakery---the heady aroma of yeast, cookie and cake batters, vanilla, butter and of course the aroma of things being baked. Aside from the smells, the best part of tagging along on these trips was the "nosh" given to me by the chef/owner. Still one of my favorites, it goes by many names---Palmier, Elephant Ear, Prussian and of course, Shoe Sole.

Made from sugared puff pastry dough fashioned into the shape of a palm leaf or shoe sole, these cookies are a 20th Century outcropping of frugality. In short, palmiers were "invented" as a way to use leftover puff pastry dough. There is even a French name for excess dough, demi-feuilletage. Having taken on a life of their own, palmiers can be either sweet or savory and can be prepared from homemade puff pastry, counterfeit puff pastry and even store-bought dough.

Puff pastry, more formally known as P te Feuillet e, has an interesting history. It goes as far back as Ancient Greece, is seen in treatises of the Middle Ages and in 1311, a Charter drawn by the Bishop of Amiens specifically mentions puff pastry cakes. Some scholars of history attribute the re-invigoration of puff pastry to Claude Gellee who was also known as Claude Lorrain, a 17th Century landscape painter and at one time worked as a pastry chef's apprentice. Others believe that pastry chef Feuillet was the inventor. In any event, this is the dough that becomes the palmier and a myriad other pastry delicacies.

Making puff pastry at home can be time consuming and difficult, but definitely worth a try. It involves copious quantities of butter, rolled into a dough of flour and water. In the Viennese version eggs are added to the mix. In any event the dough is then folded, turned at right angles, and rolled out again. This process is repeated up to eight times with chilling and resting time in between each turn. More turns mean more layers in the finished product. The basic preparation method can be varied using margarine or oil. There is also a "counterfeit" recipe that calls for sour cream and works miraculously.

In New Orleans, palmiers are most often called Shoe Soles. One of my all-time favorites is from Loretta's French Market Gourmet. In true New Orleans fashion, Loretta has put a local spin on the shoe sole by pressing crumbled pecan pralines into the unbaked dough. Once baked, the cookies remain flaky but are a bit denser, with a distinct flavor that is remarkable---a New Orleans treat that only wants for a great cup of coffee.

What follows are recipes for easy puff pastry with instructions for sweet palmiers and a recipe for an interesting savory version. If the idea of preparing dough is out of the question or your league, head to the grocers for frozen sheets that are excellent. The cooking challenged need only head to the nearest bakery or gourmet shop for either (or both) sweet or savory versions. The big decision will be whether to accompany them with a glass of wine or cup of coffee.

EASY PALMIERS
Source: Emeril's

2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) butter, cut into small pieces
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup sugar

Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour until the combination is crumbly with pea sized bits.

Add the sour cream and knead the mixture on a floured board. Pat the dough, once it's kneaded together into a square, about 6x6 inches in size. Wrap up and chill at least 3 hours or all night.

Layer half of the sugar onto a cutting board or the rolling area, and place half the dough down on the sugar and roll out till it is a 10 to 12 inch square. Using a butter knife, lightly crease the dough down the middle, making a straight line.

Roll the dough up firmly starting on one side and roll it towards the center. Do the same on the other side. Try to "grab" as much sugar onto the dough as you can. Squeeze dough together to make it tight like the palmiers should look. Chill for 3 or more hours.

Do this with the other half of dough as well with the rest of the sugar.

Cut the roll of dough into slices about one-fourth inch thick with a sharp knife and bake the cookies on an un-greased baking sheet leaving room to grow between cookies.

Bake about 8 to 10 minutes, then turn the cookies over and bake for 5 minutes longer. The cookies should be brown and caramelized.