Recipe: Sopressata & cheese in a puff pastry

I adore everything Ina Garten, what she cooks, how she cooks, how easy she makes everything look and just her overall sense of happiness that comes through in photos and on her Food Network show, The Barefoot Contessa.  For Christmas, I was gifted her cookbook "How Easy is That?" and dove right in to find a recipe one night for dinner.  I choose the Sopressata & Cheese, and while the finished product looks time consuming, it was a simple and delicious recipe, one that is great for weeknight dinner, even with kids!

You will need: 

• 1 package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry (I used Pepperidge Farms puff pastry sheets) defrosted
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 12 thin slices sopressata salami 
• 6 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated 
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for the egg wash 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Place a piece of parchment paper on a sheet pan.

Lay one sheet of puff pastry on a floured board and lightly roll into a 10-inch square.  Place it on the sheet pan and brush the pastry with the 2 tablespoons of mustard, leaving a one inch border.  Arrange soppressata with overlapping layers on the mustard and sprinkle the grated cheese evenly over the soppressata, avoiding the border,  Brush the border with the egg wash.

Lightly roll the second sheet of puff pastry into a 10-inch square.  Lay the pastry directly onto of the first square, lining up the edges.  Brush the top with the egg wash, cut three large slits in the top of the pastry, for steam to escape while in the oven.  Chill for 15 minutes.

With the second sheet of puff pastry and
egg wash, about to chill in the fridge for

One layer of puff pastry, sopressata
and cheese, with the one-inch border

When the pastry is cold, trim the edges with a very sharp knife to make a clean edge.  Bake the pastry in the center of the oven for 20-25 minutes, turning once while baking, until puffed and brown.  Allow to cool a few minutes, cut in squares and serve hot or warm.

What I learned:
1) You can use Swiss cheese in place of Gruyere cheese.  It's a comparable cheese in taste for this recipe and will cost less than Gruyere, if you're looking to safe money.
2) I always use parchment paper, as it helps to prevent burning and makes clean-up easy.
3) This dish can be served an appetizer or the main course.  We ate it as a main course, with a small green salad and it was delicious!
4) The next time I make the dish, I will use 1 1/2 tablespoons of mustard instead of the 2 tablespoons.
5) This is a great substitute for grilled cheese!

*This recipe is from Ina Garten's cookbook, "How Easy is That"

The finished product, which I left
in the oven 2 minutes too long. But,
was still delicious!