Jamie's Christmas party puffs recipe

1. Peel half the lemon and slice the rind into thin strips. Very finely slice the cucumber into rounds, then place both in a large bowl and scrunch with a good pinch of sea salt. Set aside for at least 20 minutes, then squeeze out and discard any excess water and squeeze over the juice of half the lemon.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Line 2 large baking trays with greaseproof paper.
3. Unroll the puff pastry and use your favourite pastry cutters or a knife to cut out shapes for your canapé bases – around 5cm is the perfect size. I’ve gone for stars, but feel free to get creative! Re-roll and cut shapes until all the pastry has been used up.
4. Place the bases on the baking trays, beat the egg and brush over the top, then sprinkle over the poppy seeds. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until golden and puffed up.
5. Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese in a bowl with the remaining lemon juice. Pick and finely chop most of the herbs, reserving a few nice ones for garnish, and saving the stalks for another recipe, then mix in and season to taste. At this point you have a delicious veggie filling ready to go.
6. Finely chop and add the smoked salmon, if you want to take it that way.
7. Time to assemble! Dollop a spoonful of the herby cream cheese/salmon mix onto each base, top with a cucumber round, a strip of lemon rind and a few herb fronds, then tuck in!

Tips:

• Prep the individual elements ahead and take a little kit of parts to your Christmas parties for a brilliant quick-assembly nibble.
• It’s really easy to make these veggie – just leave out the salmon once you’re at step 5.
• Less is more when it comes to the cucumber. Use your fingers to give one round a little twist, then pop it on top for a really beautiful canapé.

See more Jamie Oliver recipes