Twisting Flavours in Toronto

Passport & Plate - All Sorts of Palmiers

Canada | Friday, March 6, 2015 | 5 photos

Ingredients
Part 1

All purpose flour – 1½ cup

Cake & Pastry flour – ½ cup

Butter – ½ cup cubed

Salt – ½ teaspoon

Cold water – 1¼ cup

Part Two

Butter - 1½ cup

All purpose flour – ½ cup

Part 3

Raw sugar – ½ cup

Possible additions

Praline – ½ cup praline pecans chopped

or Pistachios – ½ cup pistachios chopped

or Dark Chocolate – 1 bar 75% dark chocolate shaved

or Strawberry – ½ finely chopped strawberries.

 

How to prepare this recipe
Process

1. In a mixing bowl add both flours and butter

2. Dissolve salt in cold water

3. Add the salted water to the flour and butter, mix to form a soft dough,

be careful not to over mix.

4. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let dough rest in refrigerator for

20 minutes

5. While dough is resting cream together the second the quantity of

butter and add flour, dough should have roughly the same

consistency as the first.

6. Remove plastic wrap and roll out first dough in a large rectangle,

dough should be ½ inch thick

7. Spread the butter mixture out evenly on top of the dough

8. Fold the rectangle inwards on both sides, meeting in the middle

9. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let dough rest in refrigerator for

20 minutes

10. Repeat steps 8 and 9

11. Once again roll out dough but this time add desired filling, before,

folding and resting

12. Roll out dough again, brush dough with water and spread raw sugar,

flip dough and repeat

13. Begin rolling dough in on itself from both ends, and meeting in the

middle, creating a long roll, made of two connected swirls of pastry

surrounded by sugar

14. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let dough rest in refrigerator for

20 minutes

15. Preheat oven to 400° F

16. Remove plastic wrap and cut roll every ½ inch placing palmiers on

cookie sheet

17. Bake for 20-22 minutes

 

The story behind this recipe
Traveling on the iconic red streetcar in Toronto, from the Gerrard India Bazaar in the east end to Little Italy in the west, I’m surrounded by conversations, English being only one beat in a medley of the languages playing out around me. Toronto is often described as one of the most multicultural cities in the world, and it’s an apt description. You can almost travel the world without leaving the city, exposing you to new sounds and flavours. It gives you a taste and makes you crave more.

Toronto is a city that loves its food, especially food events; where people line up for hours to taste of a sample of classics twisted with new and unique flavours. Samplings like jerk chicken pierogis, pad thai fries, or pulled pork steamed buns all eagerly eaten with local craft beer.

My palmier recipe comes from that idea and is made for those events. It’s a classic favourite, simple and delicate French pastry, made indulgent with fillings. I’ve loved palmier since childhood, attracted initially by the golden sugar crust; it was the clear choice in bakery display cases. Classic palmiers are crisp and sweet, flakey and buttery, they are simply a delightful treat. Adding different flavours can turn the delightful to the sinful. Pistachios or pralined pecans intensify the buttery flavour, while dark chocolate or lemon contracts the sweet, with a touch of bitter or tartness. They are worth lining up for.