Ham, Gruyere and Dijon Palmiers + Dinner With Friends

I finally got our meal plan put together based on what I had on hand, plus a quick walk to the grocery store.  We also had company last night, so I squeezed in the menu for that, which included the Palmiers, pronounced PAHL-me-yay.

These are so easy and so delicious.  Plus, you can make them up to a month in advance and keep them in the freezer.  The best part, though, is the fact that you can use any meat and cheese combo you like or have on hand.  The original recipe, from the newspaper, calls for ham and gruyere, which is delicious, but gruyere is spendy and other cheeses are just as good.  The recipe also calls for puff pastry, which again is good, but they're just as good with crescent roll dough.  You can buy the whole sheet in the tube by the biscuits, or the ones that are perforated.  Just pinch them together before rolling it out.

Here's the recipe with my notes from this time around:

Ham, Gruyere and Dijon Palmiers

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed (I used one tube of crescent rolls)
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard (I used Dijon on half and a spicy brown mustard on the other half)
1 C (3 oz) grated aged gruyere cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
1/4 C (1/2 oz) freshly grated parmesan cheese (I just used more cheddar)
4 oz very thinly sliced ham, such as Black Forest (I used a honey ham from the deli counter)

Position your pastry or crescent dough on a lightly floured surface.  Roll the dough into a 10-by-14-inch rectangle.  Trim edges if necessary.

Spread the mustard over the dough.  Distribute the cheese evenly over the surface.  Arrange the ham in a single layer, tearing to fit.  Lay a piece of parchment paper or wax paper on top and gently compress the layers with the rolling pin.  (I've never found this necessary.)

Cut the rectangle in half widthwise to make two 10-by-7-inch bands.  

(I cut the dough in half before putting all the goodies on.)  

With your fingers, gently roll one long edge of one of the bands into the center and then roll the opposite edge in so the two rolls meet in the middle and resemble a double scroll.  Press lightly so the rolls stick together, using a few drops of water if necessary.  Repeat with the second band.

Wrap the rolls in plastic and chill until they firm up, at least an hour in the refrigerator or 30 minutes in the freezer.  

(I made mine the day before and kept them in the fridge.)

When you're ready to bake, heat the oven to 425 and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
With a very sharp knife, slice each roll into 24 pieces.
If you're using the crescent rolls, you may get fewer pieces.
To ensure your slices are all uniform, cut the log in half, then continue cutting each section in half until the whole thing is sliced.

 Arrange them on the baking sheet 1-inch apart.

 Bake until the pastry is nicely browned and flaky (break one apart to be sure it's not still doughy in the center), and the cheese is melty but not burned, 10 to 12 minutes.  If your oven doesn't heat evenly, swap the pans' positions halfway through cooking.

Transfer the palmiers to a cooling rack.
Serve just slightly warm or within the hour, if possible.
Reheat any leftovers (hahahahaha) in a 350-degree oven for 5 to 7 minutes.

Here they are all piled together in happiness on a plate:

We also had my first attempt at refrigerator pickles.
These had been workin' in the fridge for about two weeks.

I'm never any good at getting people pictures, but maybe some will show up on Makaila's blog, Distinctly M.
 She and her husband-to-be have been friend's of ours since long before our blogs existed.
She had her camera up and running as well.
It's funny how the boys have been trained to wait before they touch anything.
"Can we EAT it now?"

 Here's the rest of our evening in photos:

We're still enjoying beeeeautiful weather, so we ate outside.

Puget Sound oyster.

New "fancy" shoes for The Girl, from Makaila.

For dinner we had grilled chicken thighs, ravioli with asparagus in a white wine butter sauce, mixed green salad and garlic breadsticks.

Sorry Makaila - at least I'm not the only one busted shoving my face in photos.  :)

Great night with great friends.

Thanks for hangin' with The Mom and The Dad, you guys.

Makaila got some really cool pics of our get together.  
To see our dinner through her eyes, click here.