Serves 6

Vegan

A wonderful start to a special Christmas dinner, these elegant star shaped pastries are also great to serve at drinks parties and buffets. The sensational filling could even be served in potato skins or as a dip with crudités and corn chips if you are catering for someone with gluten intolerance.

Ingredients

100g Swedish Soft Original

180g defrosted ‘petit pois’

1 clove garlic, crushed

75g walnuts, lightly toasted

good handful fresh coriander, chopped

200ml extra virgin olive oil

pinch salt

1 lime (juice only)

2 425g packs vegan ready-rolled puff pastry (defrosted)

2 tbsp soya flour mixed with 1 tbsp water

to garnish shreds of lime zest and blackcurrants

For the pastry ‘stars’

Pre- heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4

1. Using a large star shaped pastry cutter cut out 12 stars.
2. Using a smaller, round pastry cutter, cut out a hole from the centre of 6 of the pastry stars. Use the soya flour mixture and a pastry brush to stick each of the stars with cut outs onto one of the complete stars. You should now have 6 stars consisting of 2 layers of pastry, the top layer having a circular hole.
3. Place the 6 stars on a baking tray and cook in the oven for about 20 minutes until crisp and golden and then leave to cool down.

For the filling:

1. Combine the peas, garlic, walnuts and coriander in a blender then slowly add oil to form a coarse ‘pesto’.
2. Transfer to a mixing bowl, add the Swedish Soft Original and lime juice. Mix well. Add salt to taste.
3. Fill each pastry star with a generous portion of the Swedish Soft mixture, garnish with a shred of lime zest and a few blackcurrants and serve.

Both the filling and the pastry stars can be made the day before. Keep the pastry stars fresh in an airtight container, cover the filling and store in the fridge. Fill the stars just before serving.

Copyright: The Vegetarian Society 2005