Chocolate Palmiers

Apparently being pregnant it's meant to be the most magical time in a woman’s life. Even, the very point of her existence.

Just one problem. I hate every single second of it.

Before anyone calls Social Services, I should clarify. Being a mum is one of the greatest things that have happened to me. What I’m talking about is the physical process of being pregnant. As far as I can tell, it’s the Marmite of life experiences – you either love it or hate it.

When you are pregnant you can often get approached by other women telling you things like "oh, how I loved being pregnant and miss it now".

And my face goes like... "really??? Did you enjoy the continuous sickness, the uncertainty, the continuous tests, the heart burn, the aching ribs, being the size of a small country, backaches, being kicked to death from the inside out and the weird smells, didn't you?".

There are just 2 things I like from being pregnant. One is that amazing moment when you feel your baby moving around in your belly. The other is to be able to eat as much as you want with no regrets.

The only thing I really enjoy about pregnancy is the baby at the end. I do absolutely adore my children and would do it 100 times over. But I would honestly rather do the birth twice and be pregnant less time if that was an option.

This is my third pregnancy and I'm guessing I should know how it goes, but I am only 22 weeks pregnant and I can't see how I will make it to the end.

The truth is, there's absolutely nothing wrong with hating being pregnant. It doesn't mean you're going to hate motherhood, it doesn't mean you're a defective woman, and it definitely doesn't mean you're not thankful for the opportunity to reproduce. It just means that, indeed, pregnancy can be miserable, and you don't have to enjoy it. No matter how hard American films try to convince us of what pregnancy looks like.

As with everything in my life, food makes me cope with difficult situations. In my first pregnancy I lived on quince cheese. In my second one, tangerines helped me to survive. Now tuna is my best friend.

On Wednesday I had a massive craving: chocolate palmiers. I went to every single bakery in town but in most of them they didn't even know what they were. Shocking.

So I went back home and I made them myself. I had 3 in one go. And I felt a lot better.

WHAT YOU NEED

180g Golden Granulated Sugar
30gr Butter
1 Egg
2 rolls Puff Pastry (you can make your own if not in a rush!)
2 bars Cooking Chocolate - White and Dark

WHAT YOU DO 

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Unfold 1 puff pastry sheet and brush with melted butter. Sprinkle some golden sugar all over the pastry to taste.

Unfold the second puff pastry sheet and lay over the first one. Brush with butter and sprinkle golden sugar.

Finally, repeat the process with the top layer of the second puff pastry sheet.

Beginning at one side, tightly roll up the dough to center of square. Repeat to roll up other side so the two rolls are touching and rolled tightly to meet in middle.

Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Remove the pastry from the fridge and cut rolls crosswise into one finger thick slices. Place on the baking trays leaving enough space for the pastry to grow.

Finally, brush with beaten egg and sprinkle some more sugar.

Bake for 15 minutes or until deep golden brown and sugar is caramelized. Transfer to a cooling rack.

Melt the chocolate and spread over one side of your palmiers with a spatula allowing excess to drip off. You can also decorate with sprinkles, smarties or any other thing of your choice!

Let stand until chocolate is set.