Grandma and the Palmier

Palmier [pahlm-YAY]
Also called palm leaves , this crispy delicacy is PUFF PASTRY dough that is sprinkled with granulated sugar, folded and rolled several times, then cut into thin strips. After baking, these golden brown, caramelized pastries are served with coffee or tea or as a dessert accompaniment.

© Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.

I think that I've also heard them called "elephant ears" at some point - but I haven't found a source which agrees with this.

Somewhere back in my youth, my Grandmother introduced me to these. Often, when she and my Grandfather would visit, there would be some amazing produce or baked good brought as a gift. Asparagus, cantaloupe, banana bread, cookies are things I remember showing up on kitchen counters or emerging from bakery boxes. There were of course, the inevitable pistachios, but those came in December.

Grandma would bring new pastries for me to try from the local French bakery, and at some point, she introduced me to the palmier. It was delicious! Flakey, light, sweet and crunchy, it was an instant hit. Boxes of palmiers made many more appearances over the years. In fact, I'll have to plan a trip to that bakery when I'm back for a visit...

It only goes to follow that I would need to find a palmier to enjoy while I was in Paris.

Yes, it's as big as my face...they do come smaller than this! I felt like a 3-year-old with an all-day-as-big-as-your-face-lolly-pop.

Coming from a family of "foodies", we made the necessary trip to Fauchon, a luxury food shop in Paris, similar in stature to Fortnum and Mason (in London), located on the place de la Madeleine. It was fun looking around Fauchon; unfortunately, the main shop was closed for refurbishment, but looking around the temporary shop gave me an idea of what I had missed (only on a smaller scale, I was told).

Still available was a small selection of baked goods, including face-sized palmiers. I bought one, intending to enjoy it over coffee, but somehow in the excitement of the day, it got forgotten.

It's more fun to play with your food...








Two days later (!) I remembered my bakery purchase, and I retrieved it from it's hermetically sealed bag. After a wee photo shoot, it was love at first bite - perhaps one of the best I've ever encountered. YUM!