I must admit that Christmas is one of my favourite holidays! Everyone looks happier, houses look more joyful with all the Christmas lights and decorations. It is also the time of Christmas lunches or dinners, with colleagues, friends or family, which I really like as you get the chance to spend some more time with the people you care about.
If you are in charge of organising a Christmas lunch/dinner and you want to host it at home, you can definitely impress your guests with this recipe: a Christmas tree made of puff pastry. It looks complicated, but the truth is that it is incredibly easy to prepare!
Tuna and Olives Christmas Tree (with puff pastry)
Ingredients
Filling
Instructions
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Preheat oven at 180C (fan).
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Drain the canned tuna very well before using it (I used tuna canned in olive oil, which is tastier). Place the tuna in a large bowl and add the soft cheese, olives (chopped), salt, pepper, and parsley. Mix the ingredients with a fork until you get a soft cream.
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Unroll one puff pastry sheet. You can keep it on the package's baking sheet or transfer it onto a new one. Spread the tuna mixture on it.
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Unroll the second puff pastry sheet and lie it over the top of the mixture.
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Using a sharp knife, cut out a Christmas tree shape in the puff pastry. Remove the excess pastry (and keep it to make some finger food).
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Cut a series of strips on each side of the tree, about 1cm wide. Don't worry if they do not look even!
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Starting from the bottom branches, take one strip and twist it over twice. Repeat with each strip, until all of them are twisted (you will probably need to twist only once the upper branches, as they are shorter).
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Brush a beaten egg on top and sprinkle some poppy seeds or sesame seeds (or both).
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Transfer the tree and its baking sheet on a baking tray. Bake for 25 minutes. Let it cool down for a few minutes before serving.
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You can use the remaining pastry sheet to create extra finger food, using biscuit cutters of different shapes.
