Does anyone know what pastry treat I'm talking about?

Question

I had always called these things "elephant ears", but someone brought some in to work this morning, and they said they were called "prussians" (sp?). I looked up on wikipedia what elephant ears were, and I'm obviously wrong.

Anyways, I think it's considered a pastry, it's a treat that looks like it starts off as one long strip of dough and it's wrapped up and laid flat resembling kind of a heart shape (only without the point at the bottom). It's only delicately sugared - not iced - and baked to an almost crunchy or crusty consitency. It's very airy and not too sweet. If anyone know what I'm talking about, can you tell me what it's called and maybe send me a link with a pic. Thank you.

Just to reitterate the key traits, it is baked not fried. It is not baklava - somewhat similar in level of sweetness, but it doesn't usually come with nuts. It is NOT overly sweet. It does not have powdered sugar on it, but rather seems to be like sugar crystals that are sprinkled on before baking.

Not a croissant. It's not dough that's ROLLED up. And a croissant is fluffy and soft. This - like I said - is baked to a crunchy consistency. It's flat. It's a strip of dough - or pastry - that is rolled around in a pattern like a heart (picture rolling up your belt after you take it off, that's what I mean by a strip of something being rolled up).

John S, that's it! The "palm leaf" things. That's what I'm talking about. But I've never heard anyone call them that before. Does anyone else have another name for these things that this site calls "palm leaves" (look at answer from John S).

Answer 1

palm leaf = palmier

There is a picture here near the bottom of the page:

http://www.foodsubs.com/Cookies.html

Answer 2

Yes, they're called elephant ears. They're easy to make if you use pre-made (frozen) puff pastry dough.

Sprinkle your surface with some sugar & open a sheet of puff pastry dough on top. Sprinkle with more sugar (about 2 Tbsp or so) and lightly roll out the pastry until it's about 14 x 10 inches.

Sprinkle on about another 1/2 cup of sugar but don't go to the edge. Stop about 1/2 inch from the edge. I also like to sprinkle on the zest from one lemon but that is optional. Using your rolling pin, lightly press the sugar into the pastry.

Starting on one short side, roll up the pastry (jelly-roll style) to the middle of the sheet. Repeat on the other side. Wrap the roll in plastic wrap & refrigerate for about 20 minutes.

Heat oven to 425. Cut the roll into slices about 1/2 inch thick. Place on parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle each slice with a little more sugar (I like to using finishing sugar -- it has bigger granuals and looks nice, but regular sugar is fine.)

Bake for about 12 minutes and flip. Sprinkle with a little more sugar. Bake for 5 minutes longer (look for a nice brown color.) Remove to wire racks to cool.

Tip: For holidays you can buy colored finishing sugar. I like to make one batch red & one green for Christmas and I will also use pastel colors for Easter. Very simple and taste great!

Answer 3

I think your talking about Palmiers, which are made out of puff pastry, folded into a heart/butterfly shape sprinkled with sugar and baked until crisp.

Here's a site I found for you, although the photo shows five folds in the pastry, the two folded Palmiers are the most common ones found in bakery stores.

If you google image Palmiers you get loads of pics.

http://www.pastrychef.com/htmlpages/recipes/palmiers.html

Answer 4

It Could be Baklava or Baklawa

It is a rich, sweet pastry found in many cuisines of the Middle East, the Balkans and South Asia and developed in Ottoman cuisine. It is made of chopped nuts, usually walnuts or pistachios, layered with phyllo pastry, sweetened with sugar or honey syrup.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Baklava.jpg

Is it??

Answer 5

My mom used this recipe for Elephant Ears (or a very similar one) except that she didn't roll them up, she just pulled them thin and sprinkled them with cinnamon and sugar. There is a picture too.

Answer 6

I used tio have a cook book with the recipe you are speaking of. I did find these three sites dor recipes. I know the ones Ive seen are sprinkled with sugar, but when I did search some of the recipes called for powdered sugar or being fried. Hope it helps!

http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-81,elephant_ears,FF.html

http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf595218.tip.html

http://bakingbits.com/Recipes/pastry/elephant.shtml

Answer 7

I buy these quite often, they go great with tea or coffee. In my neighborhood bakery they are called elephant ears but it wouldn't be a surprise if they are called by many other names as well.

do you mean the pic found at the bottom of this link below?:

Answer 8

sounds like an elephants ear to me i get them at the fair for the kids all though [prussians] maybe there real name

Answer 9

Sounds like a croissant

Answer 10

it is elephant ears, i swear they serve them at disney world.
here's a site with a picture- though this isn't how i picture them, it could be a variation
http://www.puffpastry.com/printrecipe.aspx?recipeID=24025