Quick Christmas tree appetizers and decorative edible place cards — gluten-free, perfect for the holidays. Looking for an idea for an edible centerpiece for Christmas or New Year’s lunch or dinner? I have the right idea and, if you wish, you can prepare it in advance, because once made it keeps well for a couple of days in the refrigerator. Yes, because these spinach omelette Christmas trees are perfect for many of the holiday occasions: they are not only an appetizer and a place card, but also a lovely edible Christmas centerpiece, gluten-free. To prepare these edible Christmas trees you will make a baked spinach omelette and, with star-shaped cookie cutters of different sizes, cut the omelette and the cheese into the various parts. Then decorate everything with pomegranate arils — they will make them perfect and sparkling like real Christmas trees. Are you ready to head to the kitchen? Let’s go — the recipe for this edible Christmas place card awaits!
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Rest time: 20 Minutes
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 10
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Christmas
Ingredients to make the omelette Christmas trees
- 3 1/3 cups (about 21 oz) frozen spinach
- 8 eggs
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan (or Grana)
- to taste salt
- to taste black pepper
- to taste cheese (type: Galbanino or provola)
- to taste mayonnaise (for finishing)
- tablespoons pomegranate arils (for decoration)
- 10 olives
Tools
- Baking pan approx. 15 3/4 x 15 3/4 in
- Oven
- Cookie cutters star-shaped, various sizes
Steps to make the Christmas tree appetizers
To make the gluten-free Christmas tree appetizer recipe, I decided to use frozen spinach — it’s always available in the freezer, already cleaned and very convenient. To cook the spinach you can place them in a glass bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap so the steam stays trapped and cook at 750W for 15 minutes. Or you can boil them in hot water. Once cooked, squeeze them lightly and blend thoroughly.
Place the blended spinach in a bowl, add the eggs, a pinch of salt, pepper and the grated cheese. Mix together.
Pour the mixture onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I used one about 15 3/4 x 15 3/4 in, but you could use a similar rectangular sheet. Bake at 392°F in a preheated conventional oven for 8 minutes, then press the center — if it feels set, remove from the oven; otherwise continue baking for another one or two minutes or as needed.
Move the cooked omelette from the pan to the work surface using the parchment and without removing it, then immediately cover with another sheet of parchment and then with a kitchen towel.
This way the steam released by the cooking won’t escape and the omelette will stay soft; let it cool for about 10 minutes, then uncover.
With the help of a 1 9/16 in star cutter make 10 omelette stars, and with a smaller cutter make 20. Then cut 10 large cheese stars and 10 medium cheese stars. Now make 10 cheese discs with a small lid or small cutter and then another 10 smaller omelette discs. I used a piping bag to make the discs. The numbers I give are indicative, but the quantities are roughly for 10 little trees.
Assemble the little trees starting with a large omelette star: place a large cheese star on top with the points alternating relative to the layer beneath.
Place a smaller omelette star, then a cheese star and another omelette star. Finish with a cheese disc and an even smaller omelette disc. Secure with a toothpick and top with an olive.
Put one tablespoon of mayonnaise into a piping bag and pipe small dollops on the “branches,” then garnish with pomegranate arils.
Our edible Christmas trees are ready to be served.
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If necessary, store them in the fridge covered with plastic wrap until the next day; however, the mayonnaise will tend to dry out a bit in that case, so if you can, decorate them only a few hours before serving.
