Is it your turn to prepare the starter for this year’s Christmas dinner? Choose this festive yet simple appetizer. The ciabatta is creamy thanks to the cream cheese, fresh due to the dill, and slightly sweet from the pomegranate seeds. Served in the shape of a wreath, this bite is not only delicious but also wonderfully atmospheric.

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Ingredients:

• 1 ciabatta

• 200 g cream cheese

• 150 g smoked salmon

• 1 tablespoon fresh dill + extra for garnish

• 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds

• Pepper and salt to taste

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Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 200°C and bake the ciabatta. Cut the ciabatta into slices of about 1 cm thick. Meanwhile, mix the cream cheese with the finely chopped dill and season with a bit of pepper and salt.

Spread the toasted slices generously with the cream cheese mixture and arrange them in a circle on a large round serving platter to form a festive Christmas wreath. Top each slice with a piece of smoked salmon. Decorate with pomegranate seeds and extra dill.

 

Tip: Brush the slices of bread with a bit of olive oil before baking for wonderfully crispy bruschetta.

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Variant with Serrano Ham

Not a fan of fish? Replace the salmon with Serrano ham and the dill with fresh basil. Instead of pomegranate seeds, you can use pine nuts. Add a drizzle of balsamic cream for a Mediterranean twist.

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Vegetarian Variant

Leave out the salmon, dill, and cream cheese, and top the bruschetta with tomato salsa, a bit of pesto, and roasted pine nuts. Garnish with fresh basil for a colorful and refreshing Christmas wreath.