Chef notes

We’re all too familiar with the heartbreak of finding a recipe that promises us something delicious in five ingredients or less, just to click through and find that the technique is a lot more complicated than the headline let on. This, however, is not one of those situations.

For this recipe, Alejandra Ramos uses just two grocery store staples — puff pastry and pesto — to create an easy and irresistible party appetizer that’s perfect to serve with cocktails (or mocktails!). Ramos begins the prep process by rolling out frozen puff pastry, which she then spreads all over with store-bought pesto, while leaving a one-inch border to prevent mess when rolling and baking the dough. When shopping, she recommends choosing a finely textured pesto for the best results. Of course, you can always make your own from scratch.

Lastly, roll the pesto-topped puff pastry in from both sides to give it a heart-like shape (the classic “Palmier” shape), before slicing the dough into individual pieces and baking on a sheet pan.

Technique Tip: If you prefer to use a homemade pesto instead of the store bought kind, purée it for an additional minute or two in the food processor to make it as smooth as possible.

Swap Option: Looking for other fun and flavorful ways to dress up these savory palmiers? Try swapping in an olive tapenade or a sun-dried tomato pesto. Though you’ll get plenty of flavor from these two ingredients, you can also add a sprinkle of chili flakes or finely grated cheese.

Ingredients

1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed
1½ cups store-bought or homemade pesto

All-purpose flour, for dusting

Fulfilled by

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Dust a work surface with flour. Working with one sheet at a time, remove puff pastry from packaging and unroll onto the flour-dusted surface. Dust the top of the pastry with more flour. Use a rolling pin to roll lightly until the dough measures about 13-by-13-inches.

Using an offset spatula or pastry brush, spread about half the pesto in a thin even layer over the surface of the pastry.

Use a butter knife, the back of a spoon or your fingertip to gently draw a vertical line in the pesto to mark the center of the pastry. (Do not cut through or go into the dough — you’re just drawing a line to serve as a guide.)

Starting from the left side of the pastry, slowly roll the dough in until it meets the center. Repeat with the right side until the roll meets the other in the center.

Use a sharp knife to slice the dough into 3/4-inch slices and place cut-side-up on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the second half of the dough and pesto.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown and puffed. Serve warm or at room temperature.