Let’s play a game called What’s on Your Nightstand?. What? Too personal? Oooh come on! We’re all friends here. Let’s try to figure out what our night stands say about the state of our lives.
On my night stand is:
1 Ikea lamp.
A water color painting made by my aunt in the 80’s.
A cup of what once was hot lemon water with honey, now just a mass of lemon seeds at the bottom of a mug.
A glass bowl with a ring and a business card for a French bed and breakfast.
Two books: Unaccustomed Earth and Seize the Day.
My credit card, and a small bowl with cookie crumbs in it… Lemon Rosemary Palmier cookie crumbs.
What might my night stand contents say about me? I love a home furnishing bargain. When I run out of tea I make do with lemons. I can’t sleep in jewelry and I like to daydream about vacationing in the French countryside. I either read a book or go internet shopping before I fall asleep, and I eat cookies in bed. All things considered, it seems like a pretty cushy and self indulgent life…. plus, cookies!
I’ve taught you how to make Palmiers. Have you made them yet? It’s amazing how easy they are. The only trick is to get the right store-bought puff pastry. Make sure to buy an all butter puff pastry like Dufour. Puff pastries that aren’t made with all butter are liable to have all sorts of mystery fat in them. Ick.
These Palmiers are flavored with lemon zest and fresh rosemary. They’re delicate and sophisticated but delicious enough to munch on in bed on a Saturday night.
Lemon Rosemary Palmiers
1 package puff pastry
1 scant cup of sugar
zest of 1 large lemon or 2 small lemons
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Finely chop fresh rosemary and set aside. Measure out one cup of granulated sugar (it doesn’t have to be exact). On a clean, flat surface rub lemon zest into the sugar using a bench knife or the back of a spoon. The sugar will become fragrant as the zest is rubbed into it. Sprinkle about half of the lemon sugar onto a clean work surface. Unfold the thawed puff pastry onto the sugared surface and sprinkle the top of the pastry with the remaining lemon sugar.
The Dufour Puff Pastry unfolds out of the package just about the length and width you’re looking for. You’ll just need to roll it to thin it a bit, extending it about 1/2 to 1-inch on all sides.
What’s that? You have a little rip on the seam of your puff pastry!? Me too. Maybe just try to patch that up a bit. But really? It’s not that big a deal. Don’t sweat it!
Sprinkle the surface with fresh rosemary.
Your puff pastry should be roughly 8(to10)x12-inches in size. Now start rolling. Roll up the left vertical side towards the center seam. Roll the right vertical side towards the center too.
Gently press together. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour, or until cold and firm.
Remove dough from the fridge and slice in 1/2-inch slices. Place on lined baking sheet. Bake in 400 degree F oven for 10 to 15 minutes of until golden brown. You may want to rotate the baking sheet halfway through baking. Keep a close eye on the cookies after about 11 minutes. They might burn quickly.
If using just a greased and floured baking pan instead of a parchment or silicone lined pan, remove the cookies from the pan immediately after they come out of the oven. If you’ve lined you baking sheet, you’re fine to let the cookies cool on the sheet.
Meghan
these look very good! On my nightstand I have a lamp I got for my 10th birthday, a picture frame with my couisns, sister and friends from HS, a blue clock, a mug with pens and pony tail holders and barrettes, and a jewlery box that plays the theme from Romeo and Juliet (the Oliva whatshername version). No books..they are in a pile on the floor :)
Mélanie
Oh, I never thought of adding rosemary and lemon zest to palmiers (which I make pretty often). I usually put some brown sugar, or add slivered almonds and raisins. Next time I’ll try your variation, it sounds delicious!
I’ll probably keep it on my table though, because my nightstand says I’m a little maniacal : no food in bed… Just a glass lamp, a mini Paddington bear, a plastic firefly my mother gave me when I was 6, and Heat by Bill Buford. Oh, and hand cream and a chapstick (it’s the maniacal part again, I put hand cream before going to sleep to be sure not to put any on everything I touch!)
Jenny
These look yummy! Palmiers are on my list of cookies I need to make.
On my nightstand – Ikea lamp, an old mobile phone I use as an alarm clock, Taste by Kate Colquhoun, a watch that needs a new battery and my glasses.
Inside my nightstand is chaos.
I need to tidy up more.
Kyla
These look lovely! My night stand: old Ikea lamp, water class, watch (I hate wearing my watch to bed – hate!), somewhat folded sweater for the morning, and Jospeh Boyden’s Through Black Spruce (http://www.amazon.ca/Through-Black-Spruce-Joseph-Boyden/dp/0670063630).
Laura
Unaccustomed Earth is on my nightstand, too! I LOVE Jhumpa Lahiri!
Linda
on an antique night stand sits “people of the book” by geraldine brooks, small picture frame (w/no pix), “the last course” by claudia fleming, “baked” by matt & renato (the red hook boys), & tons of printouts of your recipes that are my favs- that i read & read & read….
a small art deco lamp (just love it) & inside the stand are printouts of your “how to’s”…& more of your recipes that i read & read & read…several ina garten books…& always a bottle of h2o…
Jen
This recipe looks great; I’ll try it soonish.
Nightstand: Rwandan nesting peace baskets; small bowl of moss & pine cones from Cloudcroft; Rwandan milk container; bracelets, necklaces, and earrings from China and Rwanda; photos of my kids, nieces, and grandniece awaiting frames; small silver vase (empty, sadly); beeswax candle.
For a person who doesn’t like kitsch, I apparently have too much of it. Ehh; I’ll go buy puff pastry instead.
thepinkpeppercorn
I love this, and your site is beautiful!
Tiffany
Well, I guess I know what I’m doing with the fresh rosemary growing on my deck!! I Love palmiers, but haven’t heard of the pastry dough you mention. I’m going to have to hunt it down!
Megan B
Ooh cookies! My corner nightstand has my journal, a seashell lamp, a box of tissues, Jane Austen’s Persuasion, and LA Magazine’s Cheap Eats issue. Also, a little more dust than I care to recognize…
Maureen
An IKEA lamp, L.L. Bean tick tock clock, phone, lilac smelling candle, novel (right now it’s The Center of Everything) & a glass of water on a ceramic coaster.
Pretty boring stuff now that I look at it! Yikes!
Sandy
My target nightstand holds a box of tissues, a lamp (though I don’t know why because I NEVER use) and whatever book I am currently reading (it was Julie & Julia, now it’s The Help by Kathryn Stockett). I don’t usually eat in bed, but cookies are tempting.
PS – Shauna, your night stand contents are awesome! (and only slightly scary)
Shauna
These sound amazing! My hubby is not a huge fan of rosemary, and as I have to keep him happy, I’d like to substitute it with something else. Do you think thyme would work?
As for my (Ikea) nightstand, I have a lamp of unknown origin (Target, maybe?), a glass of water, a pen and notebook (to capture all of my to-do lists and brilliant evil plans), several food magazines that I swear I’m going to read and clip recipes out of one day, and two books (“The US Intelligence Community” by Jeffrey Richelson and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”). I don’t know what that says about me other than maybe I need to straighten up a bit… ;)
codfish
Your nightstand sounds tastier than mine (a sunflower in a Fiestaware yellow vase, Henry James’ The Bostonians, the DVD remote, a glass of water, and my mouthguard for TMJ), even if there’s only crumbs.
snooky doodle
How nice! these look great and must be good too. On my night stand I ve got a book, a face moisturiser some perfume and jewellery and some tissues :)