Puff Pastry Xmas Tree
I made this recently for Secretts Milford using their homegrown sprouts with Longley Farm Cream Cheese and Dorset Pastry Puff Pastry. It is part of a trio of recipes to showcase sprouts in a fresh new format and I’ve got to say, it was delicious! On the pastry front, there is always the option to make your own from scratch, but there’s really no need to bother when you can buy it as good as this. Not only is it additive and preservative-free, it puffs up like a dream in the oven and is better than anything I could make from scratch.
Pairing the sprouts with onion, parsley, lemon juice and a dash of Cyder Vinegar really balances out the flavours, mellowing out the sprouts and transforming them into something really quite remarkable! It makes for a great centrepiece and any sprout dodgers will soon be converted once you place this on the table.
INGREDIENTS:
1 large onion, finely sliced
300g sprouts, finely chopped
Dash of Apple Cyder Vinegar
Tub of cream cheese
Handful of parsley, chopped
Lemon Juice
Salt & pepper
2 sheets Dorset Pastry Puff Pastry
Cranberry sauce (I used Tiptree)
1 egg, whisked
METHOD:
Preheat the oven to 180C
In a hot pan with some oil, fry off the onion until soft, then add in the sprouts with the vinegar, cooking for a few more minutes.
Tip the cream cheese into a bowl and add the warm sprouts, add the parsley, a squeeze of lemon and season well.
Place one sheet of puff pastry on a lined baking sheet and cut into the shape of a Christmas tree, reserving any leftover pastry. Smother with the cream cheese sprout mix.
Cut the other sheet into the same tree shape and place over the top of the mixture, using your fingers to seal the edges together.
Using a sharp knife, cut the sides of the tree into sections, then twirl them into spirals.Roll out any remnants of pastry and use a star cutter to cut into stars of various shapes.
Brush the egg wash over the tree, then place the stars down the middle (saving one for the top!) before brushing those with egg wash too.
Place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes until the pastry is golden and the edges are crisp.
Tear off the edges and dip into cranberry sauce for the ultimate taste of Christmas!
