Elephant Ears

While I was in Europe, I tried these delectable delights called Palmiers (I've also heard them called Elephant Ears--my kid's favorite--and Butterflies). They are a crispy and tantalizing combination of puff pastry and caramelized sugar. When I found a simplified recipe--not only for puff pastry, but then in turn, Palmiers, I had to try it out. Unfortunately though, it does require a food processor. It just doesn't work as nicely and easily otherwise--you're stuck doing it the old fashioned way. With this recipe for puff pastry you can make a host of pastries and other fun treats, both savory and sweet. We'll visit those in the future, but this will give you a good start :) The good news is that if you want to make the Elephant Ears, but don't have a food processor, you can use refrigerated puff pastry from the grocery store.
Instant Puff Pastry
from The Modern Baker by Nick Malgieri

4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter (if you use salted, reduce the salt you add)
1 cup cold water

Combine the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse several times to mix.

Cut each stick of butter into about 10 pieces and add to the bowl. Pulse twice.

Remove the cover and use a thin-bladed metal spatula to stir the flour and butter mixture up from the bottom of the bowl. Cover and pulse twice more.

Add the water and pulse twice. remove the cover and use the thin-bladed metal spatula to stir the flour and butter mixture up from the bottom of the bowl. Cover and pulse twice more.

Invert the food processor bowl over a floured work surface to turn out the dough. Carefully remove the blade and transfer any dough on it to the work surface. Press the dough into a rough rectangle.

Flour the dough and press (don't roll) it with a rolling pin to flatten. Move the dough, making sure there is still flour under it to prevent it from sticking, and give the dough a 90-degree turn. Press again.

Again making sure that the surface and the dough are adequately floured, roll the dough into an 18-inch square.

Ccut the square in half to make two 9 x 18-inch rectangles. roll on to make it 12 x 18 inches. From the 18-inch edge closest to you, fold the bottom third of the dough over the middle third adn the top third down over that. Roll the dough into a tight package from one of the short ends and press down on it with the palm of your hand to make a rough square. Repeat with the other piece of dough.

Wrap and refrigerate the 2 packages of dough (or you may cut them in half again and store them in 1/4 batches). Chill for at least 1 1/2 hours, before using.

Storage: You may keep the dough refrigerated for 2 or 3 days. If you intend to make the dough in advance, freeze it and defrost it in the refrigerator overnight before using.

Perfect Elephant Ears
from The Modern Baker by Nick Malgieri

1/4 batch of Instant Puff Pastry, or about 12 ounces prepared all-butter puff pastry
3/4 cup sugar for rolling the dough

Sprinkle the Instant Puff Pastry dough and the work surface with about half the sugar and press the dough to soften it, turning it 90 degrees and continuing to press, until the dough is soft enough to roll. Keeping the work surface and the dough generously covered with sugar, roll the dough into an 8 x 12-inch rectangle.

Trim the edges of the dough to be even, if necessary. Fold or roll in each of the 12-inch sides of the dough a little less than halfway toward the middle, a little more than 1 1/2 inches. Repeat folding/rolling each edge in toward the middle--there should now be about a 1/2-inch gap between the 2 folded/rolled pieces of dough. Fold/Roll over again, so that the ends meet in the middle, without stretching the dough in the gap, which would cause the ears to open up while they're baking.

Use the palm of your hand to slightly flatten the formed pieces of dough. Cut it in half, wrap each half in plastic, and refrigerate them for at least 1 hour. Scrape any sugar remaining on the work surface into the bowl to use after the ears are cut.

Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees.

Remove one of the pieces of dough from the refrigerator and place it on a cutting board. Use a sharp thin-bladed knife to cut the ears crosswise into 1/2-inch thick slices. Dip the cut sides in the reserved sugar and place them cut-side down on a parchment lined cookie sheet. If you want to bake all of the elephant ears on the same day, cut the second piece of dough and arrange it on another pan, but bake only one pan at a time.

Bake the elephant ears until they have expanded and puffed and the sugar has caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove individual elephant ears as they are finished, as some may burn before others are baked through. Cool the elephant ears on a rack--the "public side" is the one that was baked against the pan.