Can you bake puff pastry the day before?

Unfilled baked Puff Pastry Shells or Cups may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days . To recrisp Puff Pastry shells, place them in a 400° F oven for 5 minutes.

How do you keep puff pastry from getting soggy overnight?

Ensure fresh pastries have cooled to room temperature before wrapping them up to prevent residual heat from creating condensation that will turn them soggy. Choose to freeze your pastries instead of merely refrigerating them to keep them for longer.

How do you keep puff pastry crisp after baking?

How to Store Baked Puff Pastry. Once baked, plain puff pastry can be stashed in an airtight container for up to a week. Filled pastries like these puff pastry danishes are best eaten right away. If you can't finish a batch in one go, store in a sealed container and enjoy the next day.

How to make a Christmas tree charcuterie?

Start at the bottom of your "tree", with each row more narrow than the last, I like to place a row of cheese, then red grapes, another row of cheese, green grapes, last row of cheese, then black grapes. Then place kiwi slices in triangle shape to create the "top" of the tree.

What do you put on a Styrofoam Christmas tree appetizer?

Styrofoam Christmas tree wrapped in Saran Wrap with cheese, olives, pickles, etc inserted with toothpicks ! Topped off with a sliced star fruit and centered in the middle of a cheese and meat tray!

How do you make a Christmas tree charcuterie board?

Use one layer of crackers to create the 1st row in the tree at the bottom of the triangle. Then add sticks of cheese, and a row of purple grapes above that. Above the grapes place two rows of sliced mini cucumber. The next layer is marcona almonds (you can lightly mound these to fill in).

Can you refrigerate uncooked puff pastry?

Both shortcrust and puff pastry freeze really well. They will last for 1-2 days in the fridge (if they are well covered in clingfilm) , but if you aren't going to use it in that time, wrap the pastry tightly in cling film and pop it in the freezer.

Can I reheat cooked puff pastry?

oven at 160°C for 10mins or simply toss it in airfryer .

Can you make pastry a day in advance?

Once the dough has come together, form it into a disc (approximately 1cm/1/2 inch thick) and wrap it tightly in clingfilm before putting it in the fridge. The good news is that as long as the dough is left in the fridge it should keep for 24 hours .

Is it better to make pastry the day before?

Sweet pastry Never roll out freshly made pastry because it will shrink when it's baked. Ideally refrigerate it overnight, or at least for a few hours . Once the tart tin is lined, place it in the freezer for another hour and blind bake from frozen. Don't over-work it or else it may become thick and crumbly.

Christmas Tree Puff Pastry Festive Holiday Appetizer Recipe (2024)

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This puff pastry Christmas tree is the fanciest holiday appetizer to share and serve with a glass of champagne.
Two sheets of puff pastry, some pesto sauce, that’s all. Delicious, fun and easy.

This is the kind of appetizer the French like to serve for Christmas. Even if we like to serve sophisticated dishes and high-quality goods on that very special meal, we also like to have homemade treats. Festive but still affordable.
And this Christmas tree is absolutely perfect for your holiday menu, both tasty and cute. Ideal to welcome the family with a glass of champagne and other appetizers.

If you have kids at home while you prepare this recipe, why don’t you ask them for help? Children will love to make this. It’s a fun holiday activity to do with kids.
Serve warm, as it is right out of the oven, as a whole tree to share. Branches will be as flavored breadsticks to grab.

The French use puff pastry very often and honestly, rarely make it at home. Puff pastry can be used for any sweet or savory dish such as quiche, tart, or galette. There are also many fun ways to use for appetizers.
You can impress your guests with many shapes and fillings. The most popular in France is tarte soleil sun tart (have you ever tasted my recipe with pesto rosso and olive tapenade?). I also like to make rolls as on this smoked salmon puff pastry rolls recipe.

How to shape this puff pastry Christmas tree?

Two layers of puff pastry filled with pesto sauce. Make the shape of a tree, cut branches and twist, brush with beaten egg, and bake.
If you’re familiar with sun tarts, then you will very quickly master this recipe as the principle is the same, with a different shape. If not then just follow the step-by-step guidelines explained below. You’ll see it’s super easy. I’ve added photos of each step to make it even easier.

Which puff pastry to choose to form the tree?

Whether your puff pastry is homemade or store-bought, the ideal is to have two rectangular puff pastries. You can always use round pastries but then your tree will be smaller.

Now the steps. I have made step-by-step pictures to guide you.

First, prepare your base

Roll out the first sheet puff pastry on the oven tray or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread a layer of pesto sauce over the entire surface of the pastry. Place the second sheet of puff pastry on top.

Christmas Tree Puff Pastry Festive Holiday Appetizer Recipe (1)

Then draw and cut your tree

In the middle of the width, make the shape of the trunk, it should be thick but not too high, then draw the bottom of the lower branch. Remove the two rectangular and place them on another tray covered with parchment paper (you don’t want to throw this away).
Then from the middle of the upper width to each end of the lower branch, cut the shape of the tree and discard the two remaining triangles. You now have the shape of your tree.

Christmas Tree Puff Pastry Festive Holiday Appetizer Recipe (2)

Shape the branches

Make strips to form the branches. I used the blade of a paring knife to have uniform strips.
Then, as for sun tarts, make several turns of each strip. Try to make nice twists. Three at the bottom for the longer branches, then two or one as you go up to the top of the tree.

Christmas Tree Puff Pastry Festive Holiday Appetizer Recipe (3)

Decorate with beaten egg

Press the edges all around so that pesto sauce won’t run away. Whisk an egg. Then with a brush or using your fingertips, coat your tree with egg wash. You may use cream instead.

And optional, the decoration

Sprinkle with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, flax seeds, or other seeds.
And use the remaining parts you cut off while making the shape of the tree for any other funny shape: half trees as I did, stars…

Christmas Tree Puff Pastry Festive Holiday Appetizer Recipe (4)

Which filling for this Christmas recipe?

My suggestion is to use the classic basil pesto filling. You can spice it up with some paprika, chili flakes, or the French Espelette pepper, but the possibilities are endless.

For savory versions

Pesto rosso is also a good choice, like in my sun tart recipe. You can also have a mix of basil pesto and red pesto, or pesto and olive tapenade. Or a mix of pesto and cream cheese.
Also, try the variations with cheese. Ham – Emmental or reblochon, salmon – cream cheese… Or vegetable sauces: eggplant dip, tomato sauce that is not too runny…

For sweet version

The sweet version is a guaranteed success for children with Nutella or other chocolate spreads in it. You can also use jam or a sugar-cinnamon mix.