This pastry Christmas tree appetizer is a “must“ for the table during the festive season. Very tasty, highly effective and also very easy to make. To prepare this original dish you could find some little helpers who would be happy to lend a hand for example by creating the branches of the tree! Our pastry tree is filled with a rocket pesto made with our own EVO oil, however, you can have fun making it with whatever you like and you could even think about a sweet version.
Pastry Christmas tree with rocket pesto
Ingredients:
- 2 rolls of pastry
- 1 egg
- Mixed sesame and flax seeds
- 2 spoonfuls of grated Grana Padano cheese
- Half a clove of garlic
- 25g of toasted hazelnuts
- 20g of Grana Padano cheese
- 80g of rocket salad
- 3g of sea salt
- 40g of Aurinia La Maliosa – EVO oil
Method
Finely chop up the rocket with a knife and transfer it into a mixer cup. Add the hazelnuts, the cheese, the garlic ( take away the middle part – the germ) , the salt and last but not least add a drop of oil. Blitz the ingredients in the mixer on a pulse programme until they’re smooth and amalgamated. Unroll the first piece of pastry onto a piece of parchment paper and with a fork prick it all over. Cut out the shape of a tree including the trunk and spread the rocket pesto over it. Sprinkle it with the grated cheese and cover with the second piece of pastry . Prick this piece as well with a fork and then with a sharp knife cut out the shape of a tree. At this stage cut out the branches making horizontal cuts of approximately 2cm deep ( without cutting the base and the central part of the trunk of the tree ) and twist each branch , making a spiral shape and press the two pastries together at the end of each branch. Leave to rest in the fridge for approximately 20 minutes. Pre-heat a static oven at 180 degrees. In a bowl beat the egg and brush the mixture over the tree. Sprinkle the seeds on top and put it in the oven for about 20 minutes. Once the pastry Christmas tree is golden brown take it out of the oven and let it cool before serving.
A tip: if you have any pesto or pastry leftover you can make some Christmas wheels or stars! Don’t waste anything.
Text, recipe and photos Sara Milletti
