Appetizer Cheese Trees Food

APPETIZER CHEESE TREES

Steps:

• Mix cream cheese and Cheddar cheese; divide in half. Mix pesto into 1 half; mix onion, mustard and pepper sauce into other half. Cover each half and refrigerate about 4 hours or until firm enough to shape.
• Place cheese mixtures on cookie sheet. Shape each half into cone shape to look like Christmas tree. Roll trees in parsley, pressing parsley evenly onto trees. Press pine nuts onto trees in string form for garland. Press bell pepper pieces onto trees for ornaments. Top each tree with star shape cut from lemon peel if desired. Serve with crackers.

CHRISTMAS TREE CHEESE BALL

Steps:

• Add the cream cheese, Cheddar, cayenne, Worcestershire, scallions, lemon juice and some salt and pepper to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is almost smooth; you still want a few bits of cheese in there. Remove with a rubber spatula to a piece of plastic wrap and wrap up the cheese mixture. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
• Shape the cheese mixture with your hands into a Christmas tree/cone using the plastic wrap to keep it together. Mix the chopped parsley and dill together on a plate or work surface. Coat the shaped cheese in the chopped herbs.
• Transfer the cheese tree to the center of a platter. Decorate with the pomegranate seeds as ornaments. Serve with buttery crackers.

SAVORY PUFF PASTRY CHRISTMAS TREE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Combine sun-dried tomato pesto and goat cheese in a small bowl and stir well.
• Unroll 1 puff pastry sheet onto the prepared baking sheet. Cut away 2 strips at the bottom of the sheet to form a tree trunk, about 1 inch wide and tall. Cut diagonally to the top of the puff pastry sheet to create a long triangular shape, removing excess pastry on either side.
• Spread a thin layer of the pesto mixture over the pastry, all the way to the sides. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon Pecorino-Romano cheese on top.
• Roll up the second puff pastry sheet and place at the tip of the triangle. Unroll carefully towards the bottom. Press down lightly and carefully cut away the sides to match the first triangle. Remove excess pastry.
• Cut 2/3-inch thick branches into the sides of the triangle from both sides, leaving a space lengthwise in the center all the way from the trunk to the tip. Twist the branches away from you, trying to get in 2 turns on the lower branches. Continue moving up the tree, twisting away from you as you go.
• Brush the entire tree with beaten egg. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon of Pecorino-Romano cheese and dried oregano.
• Bake in the preheated oven until deep golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet slightly.

CHEESE AND CRACKERS CHRISTMAS TREE

Steps:

• Put the cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce, lemon zest, shredded Cheddar and 1 teaspoon salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix until thoroughly combined, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula as needed.
• Mound about 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture on a serving plate and insert the pretzel rod vertically (the pretzel will help to hold up the structure). Add more of the cheese mixture, forming it around the pretzel rod and into a cone shape about 6 inches wide and 10 inches tall.
• Press the chopped parsley into the surface of the cheese tree to make it green, making sure to cover all the white areas. Chill in the refrigerator until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Insert the pretzel sticks, mini butter crackers and almonds all over the tree, angled downward to create "branches". Take care to alternate the ingredients to add variety and depth. As you decorate the top, break the pretzel sticks in half so they are proportional to the size of the tree. Top the tree with one sliced almond for the "star". Tuck the pomegranate seeds in between the branches for festive "lights". Dust the edges with more finely chopped fresh parsley and grated Parmesan "snow". Serve with crackers on the side.

CHEESE TWIST CHRISTMAS TREE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with a silicone liner (such as Silpat®).
• Roll pastry into a 14-inch square, sprinkling with flour if necessary.
• Cut from the bottom corners up to the center top to make a triangle. Place the triangle on a prepared baking sheet and place in the refrigerator.
• Overlap the long edges of the 2 remaining pieces of pastry by about ½ inch to form a second triangle. Roll to flatten slightly. Place on the second prepared baking sheet and chill until needed.
• Remove the first triangle from the refrigerator. Lift the silicone liner and pastry off the pan and onto the counter. Trim about 1 ½ inches off the bottom of the triangle and cut a 2-inch piece from that strip. Tuck that piece under the triangle to make a trunk.
• Spread all but 1 to 2 tablespoons pesto sauce over the entire triangle, leaving ¼ inch exposed at the edges. Grate most of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese over the pesto. Place the second pastry triangle over top; stretch and pull it to fit, and trim off any extra dough as needed. Lightly press the edges together to seal and pat over the whole surface of the dough.
• Use a pizza wheel to cut ¾-inch horizontal strips on one side of the tree going from the outside edge in to about ¼ to ½ inch from the center; leave the center part connected to form the trunk. As you move up the tree, it may be easier to place the pizza wheel at the trunk and cut out to the edge. Repeat on the other side, lining up the cuts with the first side.
• Lift up each strip and twist 3 to 4 times. As you get up to the shorter pieces near the top, twist as many times as you can, but don't worry if you can't twist the strips at the very top.
• Brush remaining pesto over the center of the tree and any other spots you feel need it. Transfer the silicone liner back onto a baking sheet. Grate remaining cheese over top.
• Bake in the center of the preheated oven until pastry is fully cooked and well browned, 30 to 35 minutes; do not undercook.
• Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes before serving.

CHRISTMAS CHEESE TREE APPETIZER

Steps:

• In bowl, combine well the first 6 ingredients.
• Place on plate and with hands shape into an 8" tall cone-shape.
• Press chopped parsley on "tree" all over to make it green.
• With small star-shaped cookie cutter, cut approximately 1" stars out of slices of cheese. (You can make some of them bells or circles if you want.).
• Stick about 40-50 or so toothpicks halfway (or a little more)all over evenly spaced into tree.
• Stick "decorations"(cheese stars, cherry tomato halves round side out, and olives) onto toothpicks.
• Drape lemon peel around tree, spiraling downward, to resemble garland.
• Cut a larger cheese star for top of tree.
• Place assorted crackers in stacks around base of tree for "presents".

APPETIZER CHEESE TREES OR SNOWMEN

Steps:

• Mix cream cheese and Cheddar cheese; divide in half.
• Mix pesto into one half; mix onion, mustard and pepper sauce into other half.
• Cover each half and refrigerate about 4 hours or until firm enough to shape.
• Place cheese mixtures on cookie sheet.
• Shape each half into cone shape to look like Christmas tree.
• Roll trees in parsley, pressing evenly onto trees.
• Press bell pepper pieces onto trees to form ornaments.
• Press pine nuts onto trees in string to form garland.
• Top each tree with star-shape cut from lemon peel, if desired.
• Serve with crackers.
• For Snowman Cheeseball: above recipe enough for one large snowman or two small snowmen.
• Omit parsley, pine nuts and bell pepper.
• Mix cream cheese and Cheddar cheese; divide into 3 equal parts.
• Mix 2 parts to equal two-thirds of mixture;mix in pesto.
• Mix onion, mustard and pepper sauce into remaining one third of cheese mixture.
• Refrigerate as directed.
• Shape each cheese mixture into two balls; roll 1/3 cup finely chopped blanched almonds.
• Arrange balls on serving plate with smaller ball on top for head of snowman; press together slightly.
• Insert pretzel sticks for arms.
• Decorate as desired, with capers (for eyes), sliced olives (for buttons), chopped carrots (for nose), sliced cucumber (for hat a thin slice for brim a chunk for top), chopped bell pepper (for mouth) and fresh thyme leaves (for scarf).