Cheesy Ham Puff Pastry Christmas Tree

puff pastry Christmas tree on brown baking paper dusted with parmesan

Print Recipe

Here I'll show you how to make the most delicious savoury tear and share Christmas tree!

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Course: Appetizer, Finger Food, Party Food

Cuisine: Christmas, Western

Servings: - 6

Author: Chris Collins

Cost: £3 / $4

Equipment

Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
Fine Cheese Grater
Large Baking Tray
Baking/Parchment Paper (if not included with pastry)
Small Pot & Whisk (for sauce)
Seive (for parmesan dusting)
Brush (for mustard/egg wash)

Ingredients

Tree

2x 320g/11.3oz sheets of Puff Pastry (see notes)
1 tbsp Dijon Mustard, or as needed
12 slices of Wafer Thin Ham
150g / 5.3oz Cheddar, finely grated (see notes)
1 Egg, beaten for egg wash
Parmesan, to serve (the fresh dusty kind)

Mornay Sauce (optional)

1 tbsp / 15g Butter
1 tbsp Plain Flour
240ml / 1 cup Milk, or as needed (leave at room temp)
60g / 2oz Gruyere, grated
1/8 tsp EACH: Salt, White Pepper, Ground Nutmeg (or to taste)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
Roll out one of the sheets of pastry and leave it on the baking paper (or place it on a sheet if it's not included). Spread with a layer of mustard then top with the ham, overlapping as needed. Spread over the cheese then place the second sheet of pastry on top. Gently squish everything down with your hands to secure the filling.
Use a sharp knife to slice the shape of a Christmas tree, then slice out any shapes from the excess pastry you fancy. I do a star, 2 mini Christmas trees, some candy canes and some circles for baubles (see video for reference). I keep the stump at the bottom around 4cm/1.5" wide.
Slice the branches around 2.5cm/1" wide and make sure you keep space in the centre (again, see video for reference). Twist each branch a couple of times, or just once as you work closer to the top.
Place everything on a baking tray, brush with egg wash then bake for around 15-20 minutes or until deep golden and visibly crisp. The smaller shapes may cook more quickly, so just be vigilant.
For the sauce, melt the butter in a small pot over medium heat then stir in the flour to create a roux. Gradually add in the milk, whisking as you go to avoid lumps, then turn off the heat and stir in the cheese. Season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Thin out with milk if needed (it'll thicken quite quickly as it cools).
Stick the star and baubles on the tree, dust with parmesan then tuck in and enjoy!

Video

Notes

a) Puff Pastry - For reference, each sheet I used was 14"x9" / 35.5cmx22cm. Just use your best judgment based on the size of sheets you have. Also, make sure you keep the pastry in the fridge right until needed. the warmer it gets the more difficult it is to work with. Plus cold pastry puffs up better.

b) Cheddar - I recommend using the finer blade on the box grater. I find it's easier to twist the branches with finer shreds of cheese.

c) Sauce - This works great as a dip and turns the whole thing into a croque monsieur kind of deal. A 'croquemas tree' if you will! It is optional so use a different sauce or no sauce if you'd prefer.

d) Calories - Just the tree and divided by 5. The sauce in total is 486 calories.

Nutrition