A palmier (, from French, short for ''feuille de palmier'' 'palm tree leaf'), pig's ear, palm heart, or elephant ear is a

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

pastry Pastry refers to a variety of Dough, doughs (often enriched with fat or eggs), as well as the sweet and savoury Baking, baked goods made from them. The dough may be accordingly called pastry dough for clarity. Sweetened pastries are often descr ...

in a palm leaf shape or a butterfly shape, sometimes called ''palm leaves'', ''cœur de France'', ''French hearts'', ''shoe-soles'', or ''glasses'', that were invented in the beginning of the 20th century.

Preparation

Palmiers are made from

puff pastry Puff pastry, also known as , is a light, flaky pastry, its base dough () composed of wheat flour and water. Butter or other solid fat () is then layered into the dough. The dough is repeatedly rolled and folded, rested, re-rolled and folded, encas ...

, a

laminated dough Laminated dough is a culinary preparation consisting of many thin layers of dough separated by butter or other solid fat, produced by repeated folding and rolling. Such doughs may contain more than eighty layers. During baking, water in the butter ...

similar to the dough used for

croissants A croissant (, ) is a French pastry in a crescent shape made from a laminated yeast dough similar to puff pastry. It is a buttery, flaky, '' viennoiserie'' pastry inspired by the shape of the Austrian '' kipferl'', but using the French yeast ...

, but without

yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom (biology), kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are est ...

. The puff pastry is rolled out, coated with sugar, and then the two sides are rolled up together so that they meet in the middle, making a roll that is then cut into about slices and baked. Usually it is rolled in sugar before

baking Baking is a method of preparing food that uses dry heat, typically in an oven, but it can also be done in hot ashes, or on hot Baking stone, stones. Bread is the most commonly baked item, but many other types of food can also be baked. Heat is ...

Varieties

The pastries are known as ''palmeras'' ("palm trees") in Spain, and they can be topped with coconut or chocolate; they are also available for purchase in a larger version. In the Puerto Rican version, they are topped with honey. In Mexico and other Latin American countries they are known as ''orejas'' ("ears") or ''orejitas'' ("Little ears"). In Colombia they are known as ''mariposas'' ("butterflies"). In Argentina and Chile, they are known as ''palmeritas'', derivative from the Spanish denomination. In the United States, desserts similar to palmiers known as pastry hearts are popular in

Buffalo Buffalo most commonly refers to: * True buffalo or Bubalina, a subtribe of wild cattle, including most "Old World" buffalo, such as water buffalo * Bison, a genus of wild cattle, including the American buffalo * Buffalo, New York, a city in the n ...

. In Greece they are usually known as little glasses (''γυαλάκια''). In Germany they are ''Schweineohren'' ("pig's ears"); in Italy ''Prussiane'' (derisively after the ostensibly large ears of Prussian invaders) or, more often, ''ventagli'' / ''ventagliette'' "fan" / "little fans"; in Switzerland ''Prussiens'' or ''cœur de France''. In Catalonia and Valencia they are called ''ulleres'' (eyeglasses) or ''palmeras''. In England, they are called ''little hearts'' or ''sweet hearts'', and in Scotland ''pig's ears'' or ''pig's lugs''. In Japan, they are called ''Genji Pie''. In India they are known as elephant ears or French hearts. In China, they are known as butterfly pastries. In Pakistan they are called French hearts. In Ukraine they are known as ''вушка'' ("little ears") and in Russia - ''ушки'' ("little ears" also). An ''arlette'' is a

cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, biscuits, b ...

-flavoured palmier biscuit.

References

French pastries Argentine cuisine Catalan cuisine Portuguese desserts Spanish desserts Mexican desserts {{france-dessert-stub

Preparation

Varieties

See also

References