Two sheets of puff pastry, pesto, parmesan and twisted branches: the party tree where everyone tears off a warm, crisp branch.
This is the one that gets an "oh" when it lands on the table: a big golden tree of twisted branches, set among the glasses and taken apart by hand. Inside, a thin layer of pesto and parmesan that smells of warm basil.
Nothing complicated, but two details change everything: pastry that's properly cold when you cut it (otherwise the twists squash) and baking it all the way to a deep golden brown, underneath too. A pale tree is a soggy tree.
Good to know · Pesto contains pine nuts (sometimes cashews) and cheese: check the label if a guest is allergic to tree nuts.
Preheat the oven to 200 °C (400 °F), conventional heat (190 °C (375 °F) fan). Keep the pastry in the fridge until the last minute: cold puff pastry cuts cleanly and rises better.
Unroll the first sheet on its paper, straight onto the tray. Spoon the pesto over in a thin, even layer, leaving a 1 cm border all round. Sprinkle the parmesan evenly.
Lay the second sheet on top, well centred. Press gently with the flat of your hand, from the middle outwards, to push out the air and seal the edge. Put the tray in the fridge for 15 minutes.
With the knife, mark a large triangle in the circle: point at the top, base 5 cm from the bottom edge. Under the middle of the base, add a trunk 4 cm wide and 3 cm high. Remove the scraps and keep them. Then mark, without cutting, a 2 cm wide strip down the middle from the point to the base: that's the trunk. On each side, cut strips 1.5 cm wide, from the edge of the triangle to the trunk, without cutting into it. Leave the top 3 cm of the point whole.
Take each branch by its tip and twist it twice, all in the same direction. Cut a star out of the scraps (with the cutter or a knife) and set it at the top.
Mix the yolk and milk. Brush a thin layer over the whole tree, without letting it run into the cuts: it would glue the layers and the pastry would rise less. Sprinkle with sesame or pine nuts.
Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes. The tree is done when it's a deep golden brown, even in the hollows of the twists, and the underside is dry and golden: lift a corner with a spatula to check.
Let it cool for 5 minutes on the tray, then slide the tree onto a board. Add a few basil leaves and serve: everyone pulls off a branch.
Check off every step to celebrate.
The tree is best on the day. You can assemble, cut and twist it the day before: keep it in the fridge on its tray, covered with cling film, and brush with egg wash just before baking. It also freezes unbaked once twisted: freeze it flat for 2 hours, wrap it, then bake from frozen, 5 minutes longer. Baked, it keeps for 1 day in a box; reheat for 5 minutes at 180 °C (350 °F).
Too much pesto, pastry that warmed up before baking, or not enough baking time. Spread a thin layer, keep the pastry cold, and bake until the underside is golden. A tray heated with the oven helps too.
Yes: assembled and twisted the day before, it waits in the fridge under cling film. It also freezes unbaked and goes into the oven without thawing. Baked ahead, reheat it for 5 minutes at 180 °C (350 °F) to crisp it up again.
It contains no meat or fish. Traditional parmesan is made with animal rennet: for a strictly vegetarian table, choose a cheese-free pesto and a hard cheese made with vegetarian rennet.
All-butter if you can: it rises better and tastes better. Regular store-bought pastry works very well too, as long as it's well chilled.
Add this recipe to your meal, then come back for appetizers, a drink, cookies with coffee: Popotam brings them together, with the shopping for your whole table and the timeline up to dessert. Free, no account.
