Savory Palmiers with Brie and Caramelized Onions
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A recipe for savory palmiers featuring brie cheese, caramelized onions, and balsamic vinegar all wrapped inside a sheet of puff pastry and baked until flaky and golden brown. This cheese-and-onion twist on traditional dessert palmiers makes a unique addition to any cocktail party appetizer tray, or a great side dish for a hearty bowl of soup.
What Inspired These Savory Palmiers?
Palmiers are sweet, traditional French pastries made by rolling puff pastry in sugar, then folding, slicing, and smashing the slices with the palm of your hand, creating a distinctive heart or butterfly shape. (The name palmier means “palm” or “palm tree” in French, referring to the pastry’s resemblance to a palm leaf.) As they bake, the sugar caramelizes around the pastry, creating a crispy, flaky, buttery, cookie-like treat.
I first learned to make classic French palmiers at Le Cordon Bleu London, and in the time since I’ve enjoyed experimenting with sweet flavor variations, like pumpkin spice and brown sugar and cardamom. For this recipe, I’ve applied the same roll-fold-slice-and-smash technique, but replaced the sugary topping with savory ingredients: brie cheese, balsamic vinegar, and caramelised onions. This savory twist on a French classic works perfectly on an appetiser tray, alongside other puff pastry nibbles like pea and mint tartlets, pesto pinwheels and anchovy sticks.
Key Ingredients
- Onions – White or yellow onions work best for caramelizing. And plan ahead! It will take an hour or so for the onions to fully caramelize, plus some additional cooling time, before they’re ready to layer over the pastry.
- Vinegar – I brushed my pastry with balsamic vinegar, because I love the way it pairs with sweet, creamy brie, and because—on a practical level—I always keep a bottle in my kitchen cabinet. You can replace the balsamic with another vinegar, like red wine vinegar, or an infused or flavored vinegar.
- Puff Pastry – For speed, convenience, and reliability, I make my palmiers with sheets of store-bought puff pastry. (Other than how to make palmiers, one of the first things I learned in pastry school was that even many restaurants and bakeries use commercially made puff pastry, rather than starting from scratch!) You can use homemade if you’d like. Or, make your palmiers by re-rolling scraps and trimmings left over from other puff pastry recipes, like my savory pithivier.
- Brie Cheese – Mild, creamy brie contrasts with the sweet onions and umami notes of the balsamic vinegar. As the palmiers bake, the cheese melts, creating oozy pockets of brie. If you don’t like brie, you can experiment with other cheeses, like goat cheese for a similarly mild option, or blue cheese for a bolder, more adventurous flavor.
Tips, Tricks, and Variations
- Brush the flat parts only. When applying the egg wash, only apply it to the flat outer edges of each palmier. Don’t brush the tops or thin parts of pastry, or the egg can act as a “glue,” preventing the layers from puffing as they bake.
- Butter the tray, and your spatula. Butter prevents the palmiers from sticking to the tray. For easy turning, I also spray my spatula with plenty of nonstick spray, otherwise I find that I need to wash it periodically between turns.
- Don’t worry about being perfectly precise. Some French recipes, like macarons, require precision. Palmiers do not! It’s fine if each palmier has its own unique shape, and smashing the pastry with the palm of your hand is all part of the fun.
- Experiment with herbs and spices. For another flavor element, sprinkle the cheese and onions with finely chopped fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme) or ground spices like dried thyme, sea salt, or cracked black pepper.
Savory Palmiers with Brie and Caramelized Onion
- Total Time3 hours
- Yield14 3-inch palmiers 1x
A recipe for savory palmiers featuring brie cheese, caramelized onions, and balsamic vinegar all wrapped inside a sheet of puff pastry and baked until flaky and golden brown.
Ingredients
30 grams unsalted butter (2 tablespoons), plus more for greasing tray
300 grams white onions, peeled and sliced into thin rings (2 medium onions)
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed according to package directions
2-3 teaspoons balsalmic vinegar
226 grams brie cheese, sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices (8-ounce wedge or wheel)
1 egg yolk, beaten with a fork
Instructions
Caramelized Onions:
Melt the butter in a large saucepan.
Add the sliced onions and cook over low heat, tossing occasionally with a spatula, for 1 hour or until soft, sweet, and golden brown.
Transfer to a small bowl and refrigerate until cool to the touch, about 30 minutes.
Palmiers
Preheat oven to 400° F (205° C). Generously butter a half sheet rimmed baking tray. Freeze until ready to use.
With a rolling pin, roll puff pastry to approximately 12 x 14 inches. Use a sharp chef’s knife to trim the edges to create an even rectangle.
With a pastry brush, brush pastry with balsamic vinegar. Arrange sliced brie over pastry, covering the entire surface. Scatter with the caramelized onions.
With a rolling pin, gently roll the brie and onions into the dough.
With the back of a knife, lightly mark the pastry widthwise to divide it into 6 equal parts, each measuring about 2 1/3 inches wide. Using the markings as a guide, fold the pastry inward, then fold it over itself again. Finally fold inward again, as though you’re closing a book.* When finished, you should have 1 thick strip of pastry, about 2 1/3 inches wide and 14 inches long. With your hands, press down gently to secure.
Place strip on prepared tray. Freeze 10 minutes.
With a sharp chef’s knife, slice into 1-inch pieces. You should have about 14 pieces total. Arrange on prepared tray, cut sides up, allowing 2-3 inches in between each palmier. Use the palm of your hand to flatten each slice to create the classic heart shape.
Freeze 20 minutes more.
Brush the outside edge of each palmier with the beaten egg.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. With a flat metal spatula, flip the palmiers and bake for 12-15 minutes more, or until flaky and deeply golden brown. Remove from tray immediately. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Brie and onion palmiers are best enjoyed on the day they are made. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
*See the video in the post above to watch me demonstrate the folding process.
- Prep Time: About 2 hours
- Freezing Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Appetizers
- Method: Oven + Stovetop
Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions
To make ahead: The onions require about an hour to fully caramelize. To save time, you can caramelize the onions up to 24 hours in advance, cool, and refrigerate in an airtight container until you’re ready to assemble the palmiers.
To freeze: Freeze baked and cooled palmiers in an airtight container or plastic food storage bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature. Eat cold, or reheat in a 350° F (176° C) oven until warmed through.
Other Palmier Recipes You Might Enjoy
Brown Sugar Palmiers with Cardamom and Orange
And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
