ham  &  Cheese  Puff  Pastry

I used to eat grilled ham & cheese sandwiches often for lunch growing up. It was pretty common for my sisters and I to butter up both sides of the sandwich before putting it in the frying pan to cook. It was the only way to get a nice buttery crust on the bread. When I first had this puff pastry at a friend's house some years ago, it brought back some childhood memories. But it also opened the door for recreating this dish at home for my own guests. While this version is a fancier ham & cheese sandwich it also offers the comfort of home and a bit of nostalgia. Not to mention the fact that it is absolutely simple and delicious.

Makes about 6-8 servings
1 box of puff pastry (Usually comes with 2 sheets of puff pastry and can be found in the freezer aisle)
3/4 cup of aged white cheddar or gruyere cheese (extra sharp white cheddar can also be used)
About a 1/4 lb of Black Forest deli ham (Or any deli ham of your choice)
1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
1 egg
1 tablespoon of water

First let's get the fillings ready. Grate the cheese and pull out the ham.

Whenever you work with puff pastry it is important that it remains cold. Remove the pastry from the freezer and let it defrost in the fridge overnight. On a floured surface unfold the pastry and sprinkle some flour on top and roll it out flat. Turn over the pastry sprinkling more flour on top and again roll out the dough gently. Place the pastry on parchment paper or a nonstick baking sheet. Take out the 2nd sheet of pastry and repeat the process setting it aside on a separate piece of parchment.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Take a few slices of ham and place it on one of the sheets of the pastry. Then spread about 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard over the ham. (If you don't have Dijon you can mix 1 teaspoon of mayo with 1 teaspoon of yellow mustard....instant dijon). Then sprinkle the cheese over the top of the ham and Dijon.

Egg wash is fairly simple. Just take 1 egg with tablespoon of water and mix. With your fingertip or a pastry brush moisten all of the outer edges of the pastry with the egg wash. Then take the 2nd sheet of pastry and place it on top.

With a fork you will want to seal the edges by pressing down gently all the way around the pastry.

Cut some slits into the top of the pastry. This is to ensure that not too much air gets trapped inside as it bakes in the oven. Now spread more egg wash all over the top of the pastry. Place it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.

The pastry will look like a medium sized pillow. Let it sit for a few minutes then you can cut the pastry however you would like. The cheese will be melted through and the ham along with the buttery layers of pastry will be simply marvelous. Enjoy!