A crispy heart? A puff pastry butterfly? Sweet, exotic foliage? An edible maze? The Palmier is the Viennoiserie that melts the heart of gourmands and is also irresistible to the photographers we’ve all become. It’s a delicate sweet treat whose origin is somewhat uncertain, unlike its timeless recipe!
When it comes to ingredients, the palmier loves simplicity. The mandatory pure butter pastry (at PAUL we like palm trees, not palm oil!) is sprinkled generously with sugar. The pastry is rolled twice (in two parallel spirals and then in the opposite direction), then delicately sliced to form the famous palm tree leaves. This characteristic palm leaf shape is in fact the only connection with the tree of the same name!
When cooked, the sugar and butter mixture turns to delicious crispness, with gently caramelized edges and a beautiful amber colour overall. It’s a real touch of alchemy: the palmier is crispy to bite into, but then melts gently in the mouth.
Light, crispy and sweet, the palmier is a star amongst snacks, and also a star on Instagram! Its heart shape works wonders on Valentine’s Day. It also allows tourists and walkers to declare their love for the most beautiful French monuments and places. So, if New York has its red heart, Paris has – its Palmier!
Finally, our Swiss cousins who gave the Palmier the nickname ‘The Heart of France’ are probably right, because French hearts beat for this simple pleasure! We (X) palmier!
