My Elephant Ears Keep Falling Over

kah22

This year I'm making various palimers or elephant ears some might know them as. But I'm having a little difficulty with the actual baking and would appreciate some advice.

The recipes I've read say to stand them up on their ends, as shown in the Gordon Ramsay video: (1min 43 sec in), however, when I do this within four minutes the pastry topples over on its side causing a spill out. Can't figure out how to combat this.

Because I'm using puff pastry I can't use the other palmiers for support so how on earth can I keep them upright - any ideas.

Two possible reasons they are falling over is that I have a fan assisted oven and I'm wondering if the fan is actually blowing them over, or they topple when the pastry becomes moist. I’m thinking out loud here but another reason might be the palmiers are two full.

Any ideas as to why they topple over and what can I do to stop them?

nicol

Did you chill them the roll prior to cutting them as suggested??

Maybe stick them in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes or so to see if this helps.

Could it be that the pastry is too thin / you've over filled them / they are too thick thereby making them a bit unstable??

kah22 wrote: »

This year I'm making various palimers or elephant ears some might know them as. But I'm having a little difficulty with the actual baking and would appreciate some advice.

The recipes I've read say to stand them up on their ends, as shown in the Gordon Ramsay video: (1min 43 sec in), however, when I do this within four minutes the pastry topples over on its side causing a spill out. Can't figure out how to combat this.

Because I'm using puff pastry I can't use the other palmiers for support so how on earth can I keep them upright - any ideas.

Two possible reasons they are falling over is that I have a fan assisted oven and I'm wondering if the fan is actually blowing them over, or they topple when the pastry becomes moist. I’m thinking out loud here but another reason might be the palmiers are two full.

Any ideas as to why they topple over and what can I do to stop them?

Dizzyblonde

They look to me like they're on their sides. Are you sure the recipe doesn't say to stand them on their cut ends?

kah22

nicol wrote: »

Did you chill them the roll prior to cutting them as suggested??

Maybe stick them in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes or so to see if this helps.

Could it be that the pastry is too thin / you've over filled them / they are too thick thereby making them a bit unstable??

Chilled as suggested and kept in fridge overnight.
Pastry it's the ready rolled stuff you buy from the supermarket so I'm assuming most recipes would be centered around those.

Possibly I've overfilled the sweet mice ones. I'm making some cinnamon sugar ones this afternoon and I'll see how that goes. They can't really be overfilled.

To thick? As mentioned above it's the ready rolled stuff

Other ideas. I want to impress someone So please get me sorted!

kah22

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

They look to me like they're on their sides. Are you sure the recipe doesn't say to stand them on their cut ends?

Apologies if I've misrepresented myself. I've put the palimers in the oven with the cut side up as shown in the Ramsay video (that's what I mean by standing them up on their ends.)

As I mentioned in my previous post I'm going to do some cinnamon ones later this evening and we'll see how they turn out.

phormium

I don't know how you mean they are falling over so, because they are lying down to start with. I am puzzled!

nicol

kah22 wrote: »

Chilled as suggested and kept in fridge overnight.
Pastry it's the ready rolled stuff you buy from the supermarket so I'm assuming most recipes would be centered around those.

Possibly I've overfilled the sweet mice ones. I'm making some cinnamon sugar ones this afternoon and I'll see how that goes. They can't really be overfilled.

To thick? As mentioned above it's the ready rolled stuff

Other ideas. I want to impress someone So please get me sorted!

What I meant by too thick is that maybe you cut them to be too thick, so the pastry wasn't strong enough to hold the mincemeat.

kah22

nicol wrote: »

What I meant by too thick is that maybe you cut them to be too thick, so the pastry wasn't strong enough to hold the mincemeat.

I think you are right nicol.

After my last post I took a few I had in the freezer out and cut them smaller, my original size, thickness was about 3/4 inch.

I made two each of 1/4 inch a 1/2 inch and a 3/4 inch, replaced half of them in the freezer and let the other half defrost slightly in the fridge. When the fridge ones had defrosted a little I put both lots into the preheated over.

The results were that the 1/4 inch one proved best AND the1/4 inch one taken straight from the freezer was best of all, the 1/2 inch from the freezer was passable, certainly more so than its fridge partner.

I'm thinking that the next batch I do will be about 1/4 inch and no more than 1/2 inch thick and I'll bake them from frozen.

nicol

Glad to have helped. I think I might get my OH to try these (I cook, she bakes); she makes great mince pies but these might be a nice alternative!!

kah22 wrote: »

I think you are right nicol.

After my last post I took a few I had in the freezer out and cut them smaller, my original size, thickness was about 3/4 inch.

I made two each of 1/4 inch a 1/2 inch and a 3/4 inch, replaced half of them in the freezer and let the other half defrost slightly in the fridge. When the fridge ones had defrosted a little I put both lots into the preheated over.

The results were that the 1/4 inch one proved best AND the1/4 inch one taken straight from the freezer was best of all, the 1/2 inch from the freezer was passable, certainly more so than its fridge partner.

I'm thinking that the next batch I do will be about 1/4 inch and no more than 1/2 inch thick and I'll bake them from frozen.