Emmental and Ham Puff Pastry Trees
Easy
These cute puff pastry trees are filled with slices of nutty Emmental cheese and salty ham (smoked is even better!) and then brushed with garlic and parsley butter once baked. You can adorn the tops of the trees with sweet jewel peppers, or even use a small star shaped cutter to make little cheese stars, or if you like, simply use decorative toothpicks which are often found around the Christmas season.
PREP IN
10 MIN
COOK IN
30 MIN
SERVE
15
Emmental and Ham Puff Pastry Trees
Easy
PREP IN
10 MIN
COOK IN
30 MIN
SERVE
15
Introduction
These cute puff pastry trees are filled with slices of nutty Emmental cheese and salty ham (smoked is even better!) and then brushed with garlic and parsley butter once baked. You can adorn the tops of the trees with sweet jewel peppers, or even use a small star shaped cutter to make little chees
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Ingredients
- 2 sheets puff pastry
- 4-6 slices ham (smoked or regular)
- +- 10 slices Emmental cheese
- 2 generous tbsp butter
- 1 large clove garlic, finely minced
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
Method
- 1. Pre-heat oven to 200°C / 180°C fan assisted.
- 2. Roll out a sheet of puff pastry on a clean work surface with the longer side nearest you (think landscape, not portrait) then arrange the slices of ham on top in a single layer. Arrange the slices of cheese on top of the ham then roll out the second sheet of puff pastry and place it on top.
- 3. Pinch together the long sides along the top and bottom of the puff pastry to seal the edges together.
- 4. Using a large sharp knife or pizza wheel, and cutting from top to bottom or vice versa, slice into about 15 equal strips (about 2cm each).
- 5. Pick up a strip of filled pastry and fold the pastry back and forth. Start small then make the loops wider as you go so that you get a tree shape, then push a skewer up through the tree to secure the loops, make sure to push the skewer far enough that it’s sticking out the top by at least 2cm.
- 6. Arrange the trees on a baking tray lined with parchment paper (you can use the paper that the puff pastry was rolled in) then place in the pre-heated oven to bake until pastry has puffed out and is lightly golden, about 25-30 minutes. Bake in batches if you need to.
- 7. While the pastries are baking, prepare the butter. Place the butter in a small saucepan and melt over medium-low heat. Once melted, add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute to remove the raw garlic flavour, then stir in the chopped parsley. Lower heat to lowest setting to keep warm until needed.
- 8. Once pastries have baked, remove them from the oven and brush them with the garlic and parsley butter while they’re still hot.
- 9. Add a jewel pepper or a little cheese star to the top of the tree on the bit of skewer that’s sticking out (you can also trim the bottom of the skewer if they’re too long.) Alternatively, gently pull the skewer out of the tree and replace with a decorative toothpick.
- 10. Serve while still warm.
