Cheese and Mushroom Pine Trees for a Veggie Christmas

Ingredients

• 25 g butter
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 450 mushrooms, sliced
• 1 lemon, juice and rind of
• 75 g cooked rice
• 75 g boursin cheese
• 30 ml fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 1/2 ml grated nutmeg
• salt & fresh ground pepper
• 350 g bought puff pastry
• 1 egg, beaten
• 225 g fromage frais (8 percent fat)
• 30 ml fresh mixed herbs, chopped

Directions

1. 1

   To make the filling, melt butter in a large pan and fry onions for five minutes, then add garlic and mushrooms. Cook for 10 mins until tender and all the juices have dried up.

2. 2

   Add the lemon juice and rind, rice, cheese, parsley, nutmeg and salt and pepper. Mix well, then chill.

3. 3

   Preheat the oven to 200C (400F, gas 6).

4. 4

   Cut pastry in half and roll each half to a 36 x 25.5 cm rectangle. (That's 14 x 10 inches) Fold these in half lengthways and cut the long edge of each into a Christmas tree shape.

5. 5

   Unfold and place tree on a baking sheet. Brush with egg, spoon filling into centre, and cover with second tree.

6. 6

   Seal the edges, prick tree and garnish with pastry scraps. Glaze with egg and bake for 30 mins until golden.

7. 7

   Gently heat fromage frais and herbs, season and serve hot with tree.