Pastries are very fun to prepare and even more tasty to eat. They are versatile since they can be either savory or sweet, and eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner! This ham and cheese pastry recipe is simple to prepare; takes approximately one and a half hour and yields 2 servings.

Ingredients:

• 1 puff pastry sheet
• 1 cup of shredded Gruyere cheese
• 8 slices of ham
• 1 egg

Step-by-step procedure:

1. Defrost the puff pastry sheet. This takes approximately 30 – 40 minutes. Just before it is finished defrosting, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Beat the egg in a cup and set aside. It will be used as an egg wash to glaze the pastries.
3. Cut the puff pastry sheet into four squares and place them on the baking sheet.
4. Place two slices of ham on each square pastry. Place your desired amount of cheese on the ham.
5. Wrap the cheese in the ham, then fold one corner of the pastry diagonally over the wrap. Brush the egg wash on the folded corner and fold the opposite corner over it. Do this for each of the four pastries.
6. Brush the remaining egg wash onto the top of each of the pastries to finish.
7. While still on the baking sheet, place the pastries in the freezer for approximately 10 minutes (cooling of the butter in the pastry enables it to puff much better).
8. Remove the pastries from the freezer and bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until they are fully puffed and golden brown.
9. Allow the pastries to cool for 5 minutes and serve with your choice of sauces or dipping (I recommend honey mustard dipping).