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If you're entertaining, we have some fun and impressive snacks for you to serve up to your guests!
From a beautiful Garden Art Focaccia to fun Cream Cheese Baubles and a delicious Baked Brie Wreath, these themed entertaining snacks are guaranteed to blow away your guests this silly season!
Picture this: a Garden Art Focaccia that not only tastes divine but looks like a masterpiece straight from your own kitchen garden. Trust me, it's the kind of showstopper that'll have your friends talking about it for many Christmas' to come!
But wait, there's more fun to unfold! Enter the Cream Cheese Baubles – little balls of joy that are as delightful to eat as they are to look at. Pop these on the table, and you've just added a touch of whimsy to your gathering, that the kids, in particular, will love.
And for the grand finale, imagine presenting a Baked Brie Wreath that's so deliciously melty, it's practically begging to be dipped into. It's not just a snack; it's a centrepiece of cheesy goodness that'll leave everyone in awe.
So, if you're gearing up for a silly season shindig, these themed entertaining snacks are your secret weapons. Get ready to be the host with the most because, with these treats, you're not just serving food – you're serving up a whole lot of edible excitement!
Garden Art Foccacia
- 2 x focaccia baking mix (800g plain flour, 6g dry yeast, 10g brown sugar, 6g sea salt, 3tsp dried oregano)
- rosemary sprigs and sage leaves
- 200g cherry tomatoes
- 1 yellow capsicum
- 1 shallot
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
- In a large bowl, mix dry focaccia mix with 3 cups lukewarm water until combined.
- Add 2 tbsp olive oil to a second large bowl. Add dough on top. Cover and leave to rise at room temperature for 3 hours.
- Line an oven tray or dish (our tray is 32cm x 40cm). Add 2-3 tbsp olive oil and swirl to cover the base. Transfer the dough to tray, without kneading. Cover and let rise at room temperature for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 220ºC.
- Slice capsicum into strips to make a star. Halve some tomatoes. Cut shallot into desired shapes. Arrange rosemary stalks and sage leaves on focaccia dough to create a Christmas tree. Decorate tree using cherry tomatoes and shallot. Add capsicum star and sprinkle in sesame seeds.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden and cooked through.
- For a simplified version, you could do a rosemary stalk Christmas tree and use whole cherry tomatoes to decorate.
- We sprinkled our sesame seeds in the centre of the star. You could also use them to create snow falling on the tree.
- As we used a large oven tray, our focaccia was quite shallow. You may need to extend your baking time if you use a deep oven dish.
Want to make this at home? We used Focaccia Baking Mix, Cherry Tomatoes and Great Southern Groves Extra Virgin Olive Oil from the Dinner Twist Marketplace.
Cream Cheese Baubles
- 250g block cream cheese
- 185g tinned tuna (drained)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 bunch chives
- for decoration: carrot, capsicum, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, pitted and sliced black olives
- Use a hand mixer on medium-high speed to combine cream cheese, drained tuna and lemon juice to smooth consistency.
- Finely slice chives and add to mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Mix to combine.
- Use clean, damp hands to roll cream cheese mixture into desired size baubles. Refrigerate while you prepare decorations.
- Use a vegetable peeler to peel thin strips of carrot and cucumber. For star shapes, use a star-shaped cutter. Use a skewer to secure cherry tomato and cucumber 'ribbon' toppers to the baubles. Refrigerate until serving.
- Serve with crackers and vegetable sticks.
- Do not use spreadable cream cheese for this recipe.
- See our blog post for inspiration on alternative cream cheese fillings.
Want to make this at home? We used Capsicums, Carrots and Lebanese Cucumbers from the Dinner Twist Marketplace.
Baked Brie Wreath
- 300g sheet puff pastry
- 240g jam of choice (we used plum jam)
- 200g brie cheese
- 1 stalk rosemary
- 60g salted pecans
- 1 egg
- to serve: pear and crackers
- Preheat the oven to 200ºC.
- Roll pastry out to 5mm thick to make a large circle (cut the edges if need be) and place on a large lined oven tray.
- Score a 10cm circle (do not cut through the pastry) in the centre of the pastry. Using a small knife, cut the small circle into 8 wedges, leaving the circle intact.
- Spread jam (we used the whole jar) onto the outer ring of the pastry. Slice brie and roughly chop pecans. Place brie evenly on top of jam and sprinkle over 1/2 pecans.
- To create wreath shape, fold the 8 wedges outwards to cover filling and join the outer edge of the pastry. Press the two together and continue until you have a wreath. Follow the link to see how we did it!
- Whisk egg and brush over pastry. Sprinkle over remaining pecans. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown and pastry is cooked.
- Remove from the oven, and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
- Serve with slices of fresh pear and crackers if desired.
- If the pastry becomes soft and difficult to work with, it has likely become too warm. Place it in the fridge for 30 minutes or freezer for 5-10 minutes to firm up again before continuing.
The wreath can be prepared ahead of time. Prepare the wreath up to and including step 5, cover with plastic wrap and freeze. Defrost and bake to serve. - If the brie spills out of the pastry while baking, do not fear! Transfer the wreath on the baking paper to a serving platter and serve as is.
Want to make this at home? We used Empire Pastry Puff Pastry, Urban Forager Organic Blood Plum Jam and Dellendale Creamery Triple Cream Brie from the Dinner Twist Marketplace.
