Given that this blog is about Film and Food, I thought i’d start off with something from a country where both elements are produced to perfection; France!

This is a recipe for “Palmiers” a simple french sugar pastry. I was quite anxious that they went well as they seem to hold an important food memory for my family – specifically that of walking into the village of Cotignac in the South of France to buy them for breakfast/snacks/tea-time/any time and breaking them up to be shared. For me, they really capture the sounds of the place, the feel of cobbly streets, the smell of the pine trees and quite simply the sound of the French!

Over the years, as bakers have changed hands in the village and others have shut for ever, it has been rare to find that perfect palmier…these, however, come pretty close!

This recipe is really simple and unlike the ones we tend to buy in France the palmiers here are very small so don’t need to be shared! I made my own pastry but you can buy a block in the supermarket!

Palmiers

Puff Pastry (Around 300g)

Granulated Suger (150g)

Firstly, sprinkle granulated sugar generously onto a work surface, place the puff pastry on top and sprinkle more sugar on top to stop sticking. Roll out the pastry until it’s around 3-4 mm thick. Keep on sprinkling with more sugar (I turned it over a few times to re-sprinkle the surface).

Once the pastry is spread to the size of an A3 rectangle, start the rolling. Begin from one of the short rectangle side and roll inwards untill it reaches the middle of the long end. repeat with the other half to give you the trademark Palmier scrolls. Wrap the long roll in cling film and place in the fridge for an hour or longer.