These little Parma Ham and Parmesan Palmiers are so easy to make yet look as if you have put a lot of work into them! They are perfect for serving at parties as finger food or with a selection of antipasti.
Palmiers are known by many different names, like elephant ears or pig´s ears, palm leaves, but it is all the same thing. They are made with puff pastry, which is filled and shaped in a way that resembles (apparently) a pig´s ear or a palm leaf. Palmiers can be both sweet and savoury and are really easy to make, once you have figured out the folding process. But I have a set of pictures below for you to follow!
What fillings can you use for your palmiers?
These palmiers are made with Parma ham and parmesan cheese and are a great accompaniment to antipasti or salad. However, you can pretty much fill your palmiers with whatever you like, for example, pesto (for example, this Rosemary and Sundried Tomato Pesto), olive tapenade, a mushroom paste or cinnamon and sugar, for a sweet filling. Check out this post here for more ideas.
You will be surprised how quick these are to make and you only need a very small amount of ingredients! The parmesan palmiers are also great to prepare in advance and to slice and bake just before your visitors arrive!
Palmiers are made with puff pastry…
I used my homemade puff pastry to make my Parma ham and parmesan palmiers but you could also use shop-bought all-butter puff pastry for convenience. Puff pastry is very satisfying to make yourself though, so why not check out this baking basics post of mine on how to make your own puff pastry?
Another great party food and way of using your puff pastry is to make these Mini Caramelised Onion and Thyme Sausage Rolls! You could also try making this Italian Rosemary Focaccia or my Mozzarella and Tomato Focaccia Bread! For something a little healthier, whip up this easy Hummus recipe and serve with a platter of vegetables!
Parma Ham and Parmesan Palmiers
Recipe
Ingredients (makes about 20):
- 300g of homemade puff pastry (or shop-bought al–butter puff pastry)
- 100g Parma ham
- 30-40g parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 egg, beaten
Step 1 
Step 2 
Step 3 
Step 3 
Step 4 
Step 5 
Step 6 
Step 7
Method:
- If you are making homemade puff pastry, start by following this recipe here. You will need about 300g of the pastry to make 20 palmiers and can easily freeze the remaining pastry for next time.
- Start by rolling the pastry out on a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle, about 30x40cm in size.
- Next, place almost all the Parma ham on top of the pastry in a single layer and sprinkle over a generous amount of Parmesan cheese.
- Take one of the long edges and fold it over towards the midline of the rectangle. Repeat with the other side so that the two long edges are touching in the middle.
- Layer the remaining Parma ham over the line where the pastry edges come together and scatter over the remaining cheese. Brush the uncovered pastry borders with a little of the beaten egg.
- Fold the long edges towards the middle of the pastry again, just as you did in step 4.
- Brush the top of the pastry with more of the egg and fold one side over the other to create a thick roll.
- Wrap the palmier roll in some clingfilm and chill in the fridge for at least an hour before baking.
- To bake, preheat the oven to 200°C and line to large baking trays with greaseproof paper.
- Remove the pastry roll from the fridge and cut it into slices, about 0.5cm thick. Place the ham and parmesan palmiers on the baking tray, leaving a little space between each one to allow them to spread.
- Bake the palmiers in the preheated oven for 7-12 minutes until crisp and golden.
- These Parma Ham and Parmesan Palmiers are best eaten on the day they are made. You can prepare them in advance and chill in the fridge for a day or freeze the palmiers before slicing. Defrost and bake them on the day you wish to serve them.
