Crab and cayenne palmiers

Name: Crab and cayenne palmiers
Yield: Makes 25-30
Cuisine: French recipes
Ingredients: 200g brown crabmeat; 50g white crabmeat; 3 pinches of cayenne pepper; ½ tsp mustard powder; 50g grated gruyère cheese; juice of ½ lemon; zest of 1 whole lemon; 320g all-butter puff pastry sheet; 1 medium free-range egg yolk, plus more for glazing; lemon wedges, to serve

Easy
December 2015

Easy
December 2015

Makes 25-30
Hands-on time 15 min, oven time 15-18 min, plus chilling

A quick crab canapé recipe that you can make well in advance and defrost when you have some unexpected guests.

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 60 kcals
Fat: 3.8g (1.8g saturated)
Protein: 2.8g
Carbohydrates: 3.5g (0.1g sugars)
Fibre: 0.2g
Salt: 0.2g

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 60 kcals
Fat: 3.8g (1.8g saturated)
Protein: 2.8g
Carbohydrates: 3.5g (0.1g sugars)
Fibre: 0.2g
Salt: 0.2g

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Ingredients

200g brown crabmeat
50g white crabmeat
3 pinches of cayenne pepper
½ tsp mustard powder
50g grated gruyère cheese
juice of ½ lemon
zest of 1 whole lemon
320g all-butter puff pastry sheet
1 medium free-range egg yolk, plus more for glazing
lemon wedges, to serve

200g brown crabmeat
50g white crabmeat
3 pinches of cayenne pepper
½ tsp mustard powder
50g grated gruyère cheese
juice of ½ lemon
zest of 1 whole lemon
320g all-butter puff pastry sheet
1 medium free-range egg yolk, plus more for glazing
lemon wedges, to serve

Method

In a medium bowl, combine the brown crabmeat and white crabmeat with the cayenne pepper, ½ tsp mustard powder and gruyère. Squeeze in the juice of ½ lemon and grate in the zest, then taste and season.
Unroll the pastry sheet and evenly spread with the mixture. Starting at one of the long ends, roll the pastry up to the middle, then repeat on the other side, so you have a long joined double scroll shape – like a log. Flip over, wrap in cling film or the pastry paper, then either freeze until needed (use cling film in this case), or put in the freezer for 30 minutes or the fridge for 1 hour until firm.
To cook, heat the oven to 200°C/ 180°C fan/gas 6. Beat the egg yolk with a pinch of salt and brush all over the pastry log. Slice the pastry into 0.5cm slices with a very sharp, thin knife, then lay out on lightly oiled baking sheets. Brush each palmier with more beaten egg, then bake for 15-18 minutes until crisp and golden. Serve warm from the oven, with lemon wedges for squeezing over.

Method

In a medium bowl, combine the brown crabmeat and white crabmeat with the cayenne pepper, ½ tsp mustard powder and gruyère. Squeeze in the juice of ½ lemon and grate in the zest, then taste and season.
Unroll the pastry sheet and evenly spread with the mixture. Starting at one of the long ends, roll the pastry up to the middle, then repeat on the other side, so you have a long joined double scroll shape – like a log. Flip over, wrap in cling film or the pastry paper, then either freeze until needed (use cling film in this case), or put in the freezer for 30 minutes or the fridge for 1 hour until firm.
To cook, heat the oven to 200°C/ 180°C fan/gas 6. Beat the egg yolk with a pinch of salt and brush all over the pastry log. Slice the pastry into 0.5cm slices with a very sharp, thin knife, then lay out on lightly oiled baking sheets. Brush each palmier with more beaten egg, then bake for 15-18 minutes until crisp and golden. Serve warm from the oven, with lemon wedges for squeezing over.

delicious. tips

Make the palmier log, but don’t slice or bake. Wrap well in cling film, then store in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Defrost overnight in the fridge (you need to be able to slice the dough), then continue with the recipe.

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