Tapenade Filled Palmiers Food

TAPENADE FILLED PALMIERS

Steps:

• Line baking sheets with parchment or clean, plain brown paper; set aside. Unfold pastry sheets. On a lightly floured surface roll one sheet of pastry to a 14x10-inch rectangle. Spread 1/3 cup of the tapenade over the rectangle, spreading to edges. Roll from both short sides to meet in the center. Repeat with remaining dough sheet and tapenade. Cover and chill in freezer about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 400 degree F. Trim ends of pastry rolls. Cut the rolls crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place slices 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden. Remove and cool on a wire rack. Layer cooled palmiers in a covered container with waxed paper between layers. Cover and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Before serving, place slices on a baking sheet. Bake in a 400 degree F oven for 5 minutes to crisp. Arrange on a serving platter.

PALMIERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Combine the sugar and kosher salt. Pour 1 cup of the sugar/salt mixture on a flat surface such as wooden board or marble. Unfold each sheet of puff pastry onto the sugar and pour 1/2 cup of the sugar mixture on top, spreading it evenly on the puff pastry. This is not about sprinkling, it's about an even covering of sugar. With a rolling pin, roll the dough until it's 13 by 13-inches square and the sugar is pressed into the puff pastry on top and bottom. Fold the sides of the square towards the center so they go halfway to the middle. Fold them again so the two folds meet exactly at the middle of the dough. Then fold 1 half over the other half as though closing a book. You will have 6 layers. Slice the dough into 3/8-inch slices and place the slices, cut side up, on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Place the second sheet of pastry on the sugared board, sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar mixture, and continue as above. (There will be quite a bit of sugar left over on the board.) Slice and arrange on baking sheets lined with parchment.
• Bake the cookies for 6 minutes until caramelized and brown on the bottom, then turn with a spatula and bake another 3 to 5 minutes, until caramelized on the other side. Transfer to a baking rack to cool.

TAPENADE FILLED EGG HALVES

Steps:

• Soak anchovies in water for 30 minutes, drain well, pat dry & coarsely chop.
• Pound the olives in a mortar together w/the anchovy fillets, tuna, mustard & capers. When well-pounded, pass mixture thru a sieve into a bowl.
• Gradually incorporate the olive oil, a generous amt of black pepper & the Cognac into the mixture.
• Remove egg yolks from the hard-boiled egg halves & crush them in a mortar w/about 1/2 cup of the tapenade, adding a sml amt of olive oil as needed to make the mixture smooth. Store remainder of tapenade as described in intro.
• Fill ea egg half w/mixture (shaping into a dome w/the blade of a sml knife) & serve immediately.
• NOTE RE TUNA: The recipe recommends using fresh tuna that is poached, drained, boned & skinned. Frankly I find that very labor intensive for such a sml amt, so consider canned tuna an appropriate sub.