Pesto and Sun-Dried Tomato Palmiers

Why This Pesto and Sun-Dried Tomato Palmiers Works

In the oven, the puff pastry wakes up and starts to puff as the butter inside it melts and gives off steam. All those thin layers that were folded at the start begin to separate and rise, so the palmiers come out light and flaky instead of dense. The egg wash on top dries out and firms up, so the surface turns shiny and golden while the inside stays soft and airy.

As the pastry bakes, the pesto warms and loosens a bit, then settles into the folds instead of running out. The oil from the pesto soaks slightly into the dough, which keeps the centers tender. Small bits of sun-dried tomato stay tucked in the layers, so they don’t burn, but they do soften and chew more easily. Parmesan on the surface starts to brown and crisp, so each little palmier has a crunchy, salty edge wrapped around a soft, rolled center.

Mistakes To Avoid

Rolling the puff pastry while it is too warm makes the dough soft and stretchy instead of firm. In the oven, the butter melts out quickly and the layers don’t lift, so the palmiers bake up flat and greasy instead of tall and flaky.

Spreading on a very thick layer of pesto causes trouble once it bakes. The oil from the pesto seeps into the pastry, the centers stay soggy, and the spirals can unroll or collapse instead of holding a neat shape.

Using sun-dried tomatoes packed in a lot of oil without draining or patting them dry adds extra moisture and fat in the wrong place. During baking, that extra oil leaks out, burns on the tray, and leaves the bottoms of the palmiers dark and bitter while the centers stay soft.

Cutting the slices too thick means the outside browns before the inside has time to puff and cook through. The result is palmiers that look done on the edges but have doughy, undercooked centers.