Christmas Tree Appetizer
What can be a better starter for your Christmas menu than this incredible Christmas tree appetizer? It's easy, it's delicious and it looks impressive - so it's pretty much perfect, right? And vegan, too!
Ingredients
For the pesto:
- 8 cups basil fresh
- 3 Tbsp water
- 3 Tbsp pine nuts
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 4 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
For the tree:
- 1 Tbsp flour
- 2 sheets puff pastry use GF pastry if needed
- 1 Tbsp cranberries
- 1 bunch rosemary
- 1 Tbsp red peppercorns
Instructions
- Add the basil, water, nuts, garlic, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and sea salt to a food processor or small blender and mix on high until smooth.
- While blending, add olive oil a little at a time, controlling the consistency. Scrap down sides as needed. Set aside.
- You can skip the first two steps if you buy store-bought pesto.
- Place one sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface.
- Spread your pesto evenly on the puff pastry.
- Cover with another sheet of pastry.
- With a sharp knife, cut a large triangle - the tree shape.
- Use the leftovers to cut out the trunk and the star for the top.
- Make the branches of the tree by slicing into the puff pastry from the side, being careful not to slice all the way through.
- Twist every branch.
- Press the edges of the twisted branches down into the puff pastry so they don’t pop up.
- Transfer the tree to the baking tray.
- Add the trunk to the bottom and star to the top and press the edges to the tree.
- Bake for about 25 minutes until golden at the edges.
- Sprinkle with peppercorns, cranberries and decorate with rosemary.