It’s time for another Christmas creation and I’ve constructed a fun one here for you today! It’s a Christmas tree appetiser full of all kinds of delicious savoury treats.
Surrounded by a bed of baby rocket leaves, this majestic masterpiece is the perfect centrepiece for your Christmas table. It comes with a tasty homemade chunky tomato sauce and a special polenta chip present surprise waiting under the tree.
Constructed with crispy savoury baked bites and topped with parmesan snow, parsley leaves and a cheese star at the very top, it’s perfect to celebrate the festive season.
This post was inspired by ingredients I was kindly gifted by Countdown NZ as part of their Christmas campaign focussed on own-brand products.
All links in this post that lead back to their page are affiliated. That means that I’ll earn a small commission for any purchases made using such links. *Please see the disclaimer below for further details.
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make this Christmas Tree Appetiser
Making your very own delightful Christmas tree appetiser requires a few special ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need…
For the Christmas tree
- Frozen savoury bites: To construct your tree you’ll need some savoury baked goods. Here I’ve used two different types of arancini balls and veggie bites but feel free to experiment with your favourites. Using pre-made savoury treats makes this recipe super convenient and stress-free, especially around the busy season! What I particularly like about these savoury options is that they’re tasty and so easy to just throw in the oven to bake.
For this recipe, I used the following Countdown own brand products…
– Goat cheese and caramelised onion arancini: filled with deliciously creamy goat cheese and surrounded by sweet red onion tossed through tender rice, this arancini is delicious. If I had to pick favourites, mine would be this one!
– Truffle arancini: made with mushrooms, parmesan, mozzarella, arborio rice and truffle sauce, this one is another tasty option. The truffle sauce is a prominent flavour and it’s got a nicely coated crispy exterior.
– Tahini and kale veggie bites: a combination of kale, lentils, black beans, red peppers and tri-coloured quinoa. This is packed full of veggies in the form of an adorable little bite.
– Truffle polenta chips are the perfect present under the Christmas tree. These ones give the extra special surprise of a black truffle sauce that has been enriched with mushrooms and truffles!
All of these frozen goods are ready in less than 13 minutes and make such a great snacking option!
For the chunky tomato sauce
- Onion: A medium brown onion is finely diced and cooked off to add a touch of extra flavour and texture to your sauce.
- Carrot: Finely diced and cooked off with the onions to add a touch of sweetness and some extra veg! For this recipe, you’ll need just a small carrot or half a large one.
- Garlic: this not only gives the sauce an extra boost of flavour it also compliments the other ingredients/ flavours. Freshly grated or crushed NZ garlic is the very best option.
- Dried oregano: adds a touch of earthy herbaceousness to enrich the sauce. You could also use freshly chopped oregano instead.
- Dried Sweet basil: a sweet and aromatic herb. Instead of using dried sweet basil, you can switch it up with some dried mixed herbs.
- Sweet paprika: smokiness without too much heat. A touch of paprika is used to flavour the vegetables, just before the passata is added.
- Passata: velvety smooth and made of tomatoes. Passata is a delicate sauce that is made with pureed tomatoes that have been strained. It’s a particularly delicious base and makes a great foundation for this sauce.
Learn more about paprika and other essential kitchen spices here!
For the Assembly and Garnish
- Baby rocket: These fresh leafy greens create the surrounding foundations for the tree to nestle into. They’ve got a sharp and peppery flavour and add some colour and brightness to the dish once it’s all assembled.
- Extra virgin olive oil: to dress the baby rocket bedding. It adds a tasty finish to the salad when you combine it with some salt and pepper. The key is using the best quality one you can find.
- Semi-soft cheese: Any of your favourites will do! For this recipe, I used this havarti cheese and it worked a treat. You’ll need a small block so you can cut out a star for the top of your tree.
- Parmesan: a strong firm and salty cheese. Parmesan makes the perfect snow for this Christmas tree when freshly grated.
- Italian parsley: this soft herb is used to create the leaves of the tree and add some greenery. It makes a tasty combo added on top of a savoury bite with a bit of chunky tomato sauce. Parsley also adds a touch of freshness!
Learn more about parsley and other essential culinary herbs here!
Equipment You’ll Need:
Constructing your Christmas tree appetiser will require a few special foundational tools and equipment. You’ll need the following…
- Serving plate, board or platter to serve this appetiser on. This will help to set the scene and keep everything in place (particularly the baby rocket salad at the base of the tree).
- Styrofoam cone to create the foundational shape of the tree. I used one that was 18cm in height and measured 7.5cm as the base diameter. This was the perfect size to hold all of the various savoury bites in place. You can normally find these cones at your local craft or dollar store.
- Toothpicks to hold the savoury bites to the styrofoam cone. These make sure that everything stays in place and create the Christmas tree shape that we’re after. If you find that regular toothpicks are too big to insert into the styrofoam you could cut them in half and use these to construct your creation.
- Star cutter for cutting out the cheese star at the very top of the tree. It wouldn’t be a Christmas tree without it! Here I’ve gone with a 6cm star for the perfect topper. However, you can go ahead and use whichever size you’d like.
How to Assemble Your Christmas Tree Appetiser
Follow these steps to create your very own appetising masterpiece…
- Start by cooking your chosen savoury bites and the polenta chips as per the package instructions.
- The next step, while the savoury items are in the oven, is to prepare the chunky tomato sauce. Begin by placing a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and heating 2 tbsp of olive oil. Then add the onion, carrot, garlic and herbs to the pan and cook until the vegetables have softened about 5-8 minutes.
- Once softened add the paprika and cook for a further 2-3 minutes before adding in the passata. Cook the mixture until bubbling, stirring occasionally and then remove from the heat and set aside.
- To start the assembly of your appetiser tree, place handfuls of baby rocket on your serving plate to create the bed for your Christmas tree to nestle into.
- Cover the styrofoam cone tightly with a layer of tin foil and then nestle the cone into the baby rocket
- Using toothpicks, secure your cooked savoury bites onto the cone to cover it completely. I like to start from the bottom up. This requires working in horizontal layers and making your way up to the top so the appetisers stay in place.
- TIP: Alternating between your different appetisers makes it not only easy for everyone to access but also an impressive end product that showcases all the delicious treats on offer. It’s also helpful to position the different layers of appetisers in the gaps of the previous layer (wherever possible) so that it’s all secured and fits perfectly on the cone.
- Cut a star out of the cheese using your star cookie cutter and use a toothpick to secure it at the top of the tree.
- Then drizzle the rocket at the base of the tree with extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper.
- Freshly grate parmesan over the tree of appetisers to create snow and nestle in parmesan leaves in the gaps.
- Lastly, add the finishing touch of polenta chips under the tree and on top of the baby rocket.
- Place the cooked chunky tomato sauce in a jar or bowl and serve alongside your completed Christmas tree!
MORE Christmas Recipes…
- Gingerbread cookies – Where you can sign up to get the freebie below!
Christmas Tree Appetiser with Chunky Tomato Sauce
Equipment
- Serving plate, board or platter
- 7 cm star cookie cutter
- Styrofoam cone (height: 19cm, width at base: 7.5 cm)
- Toothpicks
Ingredients
Christmas Tree
- 2 boxes Countdown goat cheese and caramelised onion arancini
- 1 box Countdown truffle arancini
- 1 box Countdown kale and tahini veggie bites
- 1 box Countdown truffle polenta chips
Chunky Homemade Tomato Dipping Sauce
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small carrot finely diced
- 1 medium onion finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried sweet basil
- ½ tsp sweet paprika
- 400 g passata
Assembly & Garnish
- 100 g baby rocket
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 small block semi-soft cheese of your choice around 7-8cm
- parmesan
- parsley
Instructions
- Cook the arancini, veggie bites and polenta chips according to the package instructions.
- Meanwhile, prepare the chunky tomato sauce by heating olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add in the onion, carrot, garlic, oregano and basil and cook until the vegetables soften about 5-8 minutes.
- Once soften, add paprika and cook for a further 2-3 minutes before stirring in the passata. Cook the mixture until it begins to boil and then remove from the heat and set aside.
- Assemble your Christmas tree by first placing the baby rocket on a serving plate.
- Cover the styrofoam cone with aluminium foil and nestle it into the rocket.
- Using toothpicks secure the cooked savoury bites onto the cone to cover it completely starting from the bottom and making your way to the top.
- Cut a star out of the cheese with a cookie cutter and use a toothpick to secure it at the top of the tree.
- Drizzle the rocket with the extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper to season.
- Grate parmesan over the assembled tree to cover the appetisers and create snow. Then nestle parsley leaves into the gaps between the appetisers on the tree.
- Place polenta chips under the tree, on top of the rocket as presents.
- Then place the chunky tomato sauce in a jar or small bowl and serve alongside your completed Christmas tree appetiser!
If you give this savoury Christmas tree appetiser recipe a go, don’t forget to tag @theculinaryletter and #theculinaryletter, so I can see all your wonderful creations!
Hope this inspires you to create some fun things this festive season and have a happy holiday.
Until next time, stay curious!
Stay connected!
