Savory puff pastry Christmas wreath with smoked salmon, an easy Christmas starter to amaze. If ‘to amaze’ is the watchword for the holidays, this Christmas wreath made of puff pastry stars, filled with salmon and scented with lemon and pink peppercorns, is just right for you. Making the savory Christmas wreath is very easy — you’ll only need 3 main ingredients: smoked salmon, puff pastry and mascarpone and then pink peppercorns, lemon zest and a beaten egg. Using two cookie cutters you can make the stars that will help you assemble it and in no time your show-stopping starter will be ready to bring to the table after decorating it with rosemary sprigs and colorful ribbons! To make this Christmas wreath I used mascarpone; it has a neutral, delicate flavor that enhances the taste of the salmon, and unlike the salmon it does not contain salt, which is perfect since cooked smoked salmon can be a bit too salty. If you don’t love smoked salmon, you can replace it with another sliced cold cut of your choice and the result will still be excellent.
Let’s head to the kitchen now — our Christmas wreath is waiting to be brought to the table to become an edible Christmas centerpiece that will amaze everyone. But before you rush to the kitchen, remember that if you want to stay updated on all my recipes you can follow my Facebook page (here) and my Instagram profile (here).
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 5 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 10
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Christmas
Ingredients to make the puff pastry Christmas wreath
- 2 rolls puff pastry
- 7 oz (≈ 3/4 cup) mascarpone
- to taste pink peppercorns
- to taste lemon zest
- 7 oz smoked salmon
- to taste egg (beaten, for finishing)
- to taste sesame seeds (for finishing)
Tools
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Plate ceramic cake plate 11 in
- Cookie cutters
Steps to make the savory puff pastry wreath
Unroll the puff pastry and spread the mascarpone evenly over it. Sprinkle with pink peppercorns and grate a generous amount of organic lemon zest. Lay the slices of salmon over the entire surface and cover with the other sheet of pastry, aligning the edges well.
Cut out 30 stars about 1.5–2 in (some a bit smaller). Place a sheet of parchment paper on a very large flat plate, preferably a cake plate with low or no edges. Form the wreath by slightly overlapping the stars along the circumference of the plate, attaching a few smaller stars on top.
With a small piece of the trimmings, roll a thin cord and use it to make the loop at the top of the wreath, then position it with the joins underneath. Brush everything with beaten egg and sprinkle with seeds. Bake in a conventional oven at 392°F for about 20–25 minutes or until golden. While the wreath is baking, press the trimmings together (do not re-knead), shape into a rectangular loaf, brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with seeds. Cut into strips, brush again and, once the wreath is out of the oven, bake the strips for 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before removing from the mold, then slide onto a serving plate and tear away the parchment paper underneath using scissors (this way you won’t break the wreath).
Decorate the wreath with rosemary sprigs and decorative ribbons and bring it to the table.
The puff pastry Christmas wreath is delicious warm or lukewarm; it loses a bit when cold, but if you want to prepare ahead you can assemble it and store it in the fridge for up to 24 hours covered with plastic wrap, then brush with egg and bake just before serving. Alternatively, once baked, set it aside for a few hours and reheat it in a warm (turned-off) oven for 10 minutes.
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You can replace the salmon with any sliced cold cut of your choice
