Puff pastry tree with ricotta and spinach swirls, elegant and delicious, makes a great impression on the table. How wonderful it is to have a table full of appetizers at Christmas; I could have dinner and lunch with just mixed appetizers. The classic Christmas tree-shaped appetizer cannot be missed, and this year I thought of making it with ricotta and spinach Christmas swirls made with puff pastry. For convenience, I made separate swirls that I brought together after baking to form the tree, but you can position them before baking to create the tree shape so that all the swirls are connected. I preferred to make them separate because it’s more practical to eat; everyone can take theirs without touching the others. To garnish, add some cherry tomatoes and, if you like, some cheese stars. As always, I think of this after I’ve eaten it, and you’ll definitely impress because they are delicious, to say the least. I’ll tell you an episode: the night I made this recipe, I stepped away from the table for a moment to complete some work on the computer, and when I returned, to my surprise, my husband, who doesn’t like puff pastry, had eaten them all, leaving me wanting to eat a couple more. So they will also be on my Christmas table, with cheese stars attached, just cut them out with cookie cutters.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 12
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Christmas
Ingredients for Puff Pastry Tree with Ricotta and Spinach Swirls
- 1 sheet rectangular puff pastry
- 7 oz fresh or frozen spinach
- 9 oz ricotta
- 1 egg + one for brushing
- to taste Parmesan
- to taste salt
- to taste sesame seeds
Tools to Prepare the Puff Pastry Tree with Ricotta and Spinach Swirls
- 1 Pan
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Fork
Steps to Prepare the Puff Pastry Tree with Ricotta and Spinach Swirls
First, cook the spinach. If frozen, place them in a pan with a lid over low heat; if fresh, wash and drain them well, then cook in the pan. No need to add water or oil. Add a little salt and cook until well dried, which will take a few minutes.
Place the prepared spinach in a bowl, chop with a knife to make them finer. Spread them out to cool.
Once the spinach is cool, mix it with ricotta, grated cheese, and one egg. You can also add a little nutmeg if you like. Mix well.
Open the puff pastry and spread the ricotta and spinach cream over the entire surface. Roll from the longer side with the help of parchment paper. Transfer to a cutting board and place in the freezer for a couple of hours.
Cut the swirls with the roll well chilled. About 3/4 inch thick, or enough to make 12 swirls of the same size. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spaced apart, brush with egg, and sprinkle with sesame seeds, then lay them on the tray on the cut side. If you want to form a tree with the swirls attached, place them close enough to touch when they expand during baking.
Bake in a preheated static oven at 350°F for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven, form into a tree shape, decorate with cherry tomatoes and cheese stars, and serve.
You can also prepare it in advance and leave it in the freezer until ready to bake. Just take it out 15 minutes before slicing. It can also go into the oven sliced while still frozen, just needing a few more minutes to cook. If there are many people at the table, you can also prepare two, maybe one with ricotta and spinach, the other red, or with sun-dried tomato pesto, a chili cream, or ‘nduja to enrich with cheese or cold cuts.
