Savory Cheese Palmiers

Ingredients:
1 1/2 T butter
8 to 10 shallots, or 2 medium onions, peeled and very finely diced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped, or a good pinch of dried thyme
salt and freshly ground black pepper
13 ounce sheet of all-butter puff pastry
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup gruyère, finely grated

Preparing the palmiers:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Warm the butter in a small frying pan over medium-low heat and sauté the shallots with the thyme and a pinch of salt until softened, stirring from time to time. Set aside to cool.

Unroll the pastry and brush the upper side with beaten egg. Scatter the cooled shallots and the cheese over the surface, grind black pepper over the top, then fold the two long sides over by a sixth of the width each. Fold the strips in again, so the outside edges meet along the middle of the sheet, brush the upper side of the pastry with egg and fold together so that you have one long, fat strip. Place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm up.

Cut the pastry into 20 thin slices and place cut-side down on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush lightly with beaten egg and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until risen and golden brown.

Makes 20 palmiers