Christmas is NINE days away, guys – how the heck did that happen?? Amidst the scramble to check off your shopping list and decorate the house, I’ll bet you’re knee-deep in holiday parties aren’t you? And for some of them you might have to bring some kind of side dish. Well I’ve got an impressive, yet simple and yummy, option for you! Introducing Spinach Bacon Cheddar Palmiers. OH YES.

Palmier is just a fancy french word for palm tree, used to describe a french puff pastry in a palm or butterfly shape. You might have heard them described as “elephant ears” too. Listen, call them whatever you want, they are dee-licious. I mean, all I want for Christmas is for everything to start with buttery puff pastry. Just kidding….sort of.

One of my favorite ways to make a palmier is simply with sugar and cinnamon (I’ll save that for another day), but I’ve been playing around with different savory combinations lately, and this one is a winner. I get that spinach doesn’t necessarily get everyone jumping up and down with excitement, but bacon sure does. And ditto for cheddar. Amiright?? So throw bacon and cheese on anything and you’ll be everyone’s favorite chef. 

The day before you’re going to make these bad boys, make sure to defrost the frozen spinach by putting it in the fridge. Same goes for the puff pastry (defrost according to the instructions on the box). When you’re ready to get started, prep the ingredients: cut the bacon into small pieces, grate the cheddar, and drain the spinach and squeeze as much liquid out as you can (if you skip this step you’ll have soggy pastry, yuck). 

Then heat a medium pan over medium heat and fry the bacon…mmmmm. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. 

(Instead of cutting the bacon then frying, you can also cook the bacon whole, then chop afterwards.)

Next, take the defrosted puff pastry out of the fridge and gather all your ingredients together in one place and start layering the goodness onto the puff pastry.

You’ll want to work fast so the pastry stays cold (if it gets too warm it becomes difficult to handle). I find it helpful to either sprinkle flour onto the surface you’ll be putting the puff pastry on, or you can put the pastry on top of a big piece of wax or parchment paper. 

Now it’s time to fold!

Put the finished product on a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper. Then repeat the steps with the second sheet of puff pastry and the remaining ingredients. 

With both rolled up sheets of puff pastry on the lined baking sheet, put into the freezer for 10-15 minutes to chill. Once time is almost up, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Take the pastry out of the freezer and slice into 1/2 inch slices. Place them face up on the same parchment-lined baking sheet. 

Bake for 13-15 minutes, until light golden brown. Let cool for 5-10 minutes, then proceed to devour 12 pieces in one sitting. Or, put on a serving dish for that party you’re headed to. Whatever makes you happy, no judging here :)

These are amazing fresh out of the oven, but still extremely delicious at room temperature. 

Spinach Bacon Cheddar Palmiers

2015-12-15 16:35:30

Yields 32

A buttery and crispy puff pastry appetizer stuffed with spinach, bacon, & sharp cheddar!

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Prep Time

45 min

Cook Time

15 min

Total Time

1 hr

Prep Time

45 min

Cook Time

15 min

Total Time

1 hr

Ingredients

1. 1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed according to instructions on box
2. 8 oz package frozen spinach, thawed overnight in fridge
3. 6-7 oz bacon, chopped into small pieces
4. 5 oz sharp cheddar, grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
5. 4 Tablespoons Dijon mustard

Instructions

1. The night before you make the palmiers, defrost frozen spinach and puff pastry (according to instructions on box). Often you can also defrost the puff pastry at room temperature for a few hours prior to using - just depends on the instructions on the box.
2. Prep all ingredients: measure out the Dijon mustard, cut the bacon into small pieces, grate the cheddar, and drain the frozen spinach, making sure to squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
3. Heat a pan over medium heat and add the bacon pieces. Fry until crispy. (You can also cook the bacon in whole pieces, then chop up into small pieces after they're cooked.) Drain on a paper towel lined plate.
4. Take puff pastry out of the fridge and gather all ingredients together in one place.
5. Add a little flour to your work surface (or tear a big piece of wax or parchment paper and put on top of work surface). Unroll one sheet of puff pastry. You want it to be roughly 9x11 inches. You may need to slightly roll it out with a rolling pin to get there if it isn't already 9x11.
6. Using a pastry brush, gently brush half of the Dijon mustard onto the pastry sheet, leaving a very small 1/4 inch border untouched. Sprinkle on half of the grated cheese, followed by half of the drained spinach, and then finally half of the fried bacon.
7. Fold each end halfway to the center of the sheet. Fold each end towards the center again until both ends are almost touching. Fold the two ends toward each other for a third time (sort of like you're closing a book) so they are on top of each other.
8. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the folded pastry sheet on the baking sheet.
9. Working quickly, repeat steps #6-7 for the second pastry sheet. When done, put on top of the baking sheet next to the first sheet. Put in freezer for 10-15 minutes to chill.
10. Once the 10-15 min is almost up, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Take pastry out of the freezer and starting with one sheet, cut into 1/2 inch slices using a very sharp knife. Use a sawing motion to cut the palmiers, rather than pushing down with the knife. Do the same with the second sheet.
11. Place palmiers on the same parchment paper-lined baking sheet, face up, about 1 inch apart from each other (they will expand as they bake). You will probably need a second baking sheet (also lined with parchment paper) to bake everything at once.
12. Bake for 13-15 minutes until light golden brown. Let cool 5-10 minutes before serving.

By Love & Food ForEva

Love & Food ForEva https://loveandfoodforeva.com/