Merry Christmas everyone!
This dish is a such lovely way to celebrate Christmas! It looks pretty stunning and the flaky delicate texture is going to be a hit!
This makes a great appetizer or lunch when served with a green salad!
Once you have your filling ingredients, all you have to do is careful handle the puffed pastry. It is best to keep it refrigerated until you are ready to assemble it. Open the package, remove the paper sleeve and unroll the first sheet onto a lightly floured board or better some parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, lightly roll top to bottom and side to side to slightly enlarge the rectangle and make it thinner. Using a fork prick the sheet a few times.
Lightly mark the center of the rectangle. Remove a smalls trip at the bottom on each side to create the trunk.
Using a ruler or the box of pastry, score the sides. Keep the pieces as you will be using them later.
Place a few tablespoons of herbed cream cheese, sundried tomatoes or other fillings of your choice and spread it evenly. Keep it thin and on the dry side if you can. Wet ingredients can make it harder for the pastry to cook all the way through!
Time to repeat the same process with the second sheet and place it on top the first one. Lightly pinch the edges to keep the filling in.
Now you can make horizontal cuts from the bottom up leaving a space in the middle. Gently lift and twist one section at a time as you make your way to the top. Lift the parchment paper and place on a baking sheet. You can sprinkle some rosemary, black sesame seeds for added color and taste!
Brush some plain plant-based milk with a pinch of salt with a silicone brush as a replacement for egg wash.
Preheat the oven at 375 F and bake for 30 mn. The top should start to golden. Check the bottom by gently lifting it with a spatula. If it looks dense, bake for another 5-10 minutes until it is perfected baked.
Conveniently, you will be left with 4 triangular pieces that are perfectly sized for making croissants and four small pieces. You can go sweet or savory. I went for savory to make more appetizers!
Be careful because smaller pieces of puffed pastry will bake faster than large ones and the top can darken fast. That’s what happened to me! No worries they tasted wonderful and the burnt spots can be easily scraped off with a knife. Bake for 15-2o minutes at 375 F. Lift some pieces and if the bottoms are still uncooked, add another 5 minutes.
Filling
Vegan herbed cream cheese or my absolute favorite: Vegan Boursin
Sundried tomato paste
Pesto
Spinach dip
Toppings
Adding some toppings isn’t mandatory but it ads a nice visual touch. I love to sprinkle some fresh rosemary, cut a few green or olive slices, some capers, sesame seeds, you get the idea!
