I love seeing new recipes that take a fresh spin on an old classic. And who better to inspire me this Christmas season than the master of reinvention, Adriano Zumbo?

This month’s Gourmet Traveller magazine features a collection of Christmas themed recipes from Adriano Zumbo. The gingerbread christmas tree in particular wowed me and it was surprisingly easy to pull together (well, compared to his other famous creations, the croquembouche and the mousse cake).

I decided to forgo the recipe for gingerbread in the magazine and use my old faithful gingerbread cookie recipe. I bought a star shaped cookie cutter set in three sizes and baked eight in each size (it’s important not to overcook the gingerbread). Once they were cool, it was a matter of stacking them together and fixing the layers together with royal icing. To finish, I propped a star on top of the tree with a toothpick and dusted with icing sugar.

And voila! a fabulous and festive centrepiece for the Christmas table.

Image00001