Puff Pastry Trees
17/11/2023The cheesy puff pastry trees are fun and flavorful appetizers, perfect for an aperitif or a festive buffet. Here is the traditional recipe with an Italian twist.
Ingredients
- 2 rolls of rectangular puff pastry
- 200 g of melting cheese (such as mozzarella or provolone)
- 50 g of grated Parmesan cheese
- Egg for brushing
- Salt
- Pepper (optional)
- Herbal garnish of choice (such as rosemary or thyme)
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 200 °C and prepare a baking tray by lining it with parchment paper.
- Roll out the two sheets of puff pastry and sprinkle one of them with the grated melting cheese, leaving a free edge of about 1 cm on the sides.
- Sprinkle the cheese with grated Parmesan, add a pinch of salt and, if you wish, some pepper.
- Cover with the second sheet of puff pastry and gently press the edges to seal the filling.
- With a sharp knife or a pastry wheel, cut the pastry into vertical strips about 2 cm wide.
- Take each strip by the ends and twist it on itself to form the puff pastry tree.
- Place the trees on the baking tray, spacing them slightly apart.
- Beat the egg and brush each tree gently. This will give a nice golden color during baking.
- Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until the pastry is puffed and golden.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes before serving. Garnish with aromatic herbs for a touch of freshness and color.
Your cheesy puff pastry trees are ready! They are perfect to serve hot to fully enjoy their melting heart.
Curiosity
This dish has the advantage of being extremely customizable. For example, you can vary the type of cheese, add ingredients to the filling like cooked ham, speck, or chopped vegetables to get different flavors with every bite.
