Puff pastry folds around toasted black sesame sugar to make small, heart-shaped palmiers with caramelised edges and crisp layers. Share them with tea or coffee at the weekend.
Allow for toasting and cooling the sesame, folding, 30 minutes of chilling, baking and complete cooling. No soaking or proving is needed.
Recipe illustrations; measure ingredients using the written quantities.
Pick over the seeds, rinse briefly in a fine sieve and drain thoroughly. Stir in a clean frying pan over low heat for about 3–5 minutes to dry the surface, then for another 2–3 minutes until fragrant, without smoking or scorching. Spread out to cool for about 10 minutes. Lightly crush half and mix with the rest, 40 g sugar and salt; do not add oil or grind to a paste.
Keep pastry cool, allowing only the brief standing time its packet needs for unfolding. Scatter half of the remaining 20 g sugar thinly over baking paper, lay pastry on top and scatter the rest over it; roll gently to press in the sugar. Spread sesame sugar thinly and evenly on top. Fold both short edges (the roughly 23 cm edges) towards the centre, fold each towards the centre again, then fold the two sides together into a symmetrical log about 23 cm long. Chill first if the pastry becomes soft or greasy.
Wrap and chill for 30 minutes until firm enough to slice neatly. Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan; if the pastry packet specifies otherwise, follow it and watch the colour. Line baking trays. Slice with a sharp knife into 8–10 mm pieces and place cut-side up, leaving at least 4 cm around each for spreading. Use about two trays; keep a second batch refrigerated if the oven is small.
Bake for about 12–15 minutes until the undersides begin to turn golden. Using oven gloves, remove the tray and turn each palmier carefully with a thin spatula. Bake for another 10–15 minutes. Both sides should be golden with expanded, dry layers in the centre; allow a few more minutes if still soft or damp. Judge the exposed pastry and sugar edges rather than the dark seeds. Leave on the tray for about 3 minutes, then cool on a rack for 25–30 minutes. Let the hot sugar cool fully before eating.
Contains sesame and wheat (gluten). Puff pastry may contain milk or other allergens; check the chosen brand. The Xianyitang dried-ingredient packs state that they are packed in a facility also handling peanuts, tree nuts, sesame and soya. Check the actual labels of every brand used.
Cool completely before storing in a clean airtight container in a cool, dry place. Best the same day; eat within 2 days. Keep away from moisture and raw food, and do not seal while warm. Follow the pastry packet for handling thawed pastry and any refreezing restrictions.
