Hot Brown Sandwich Baked in Puff Pastry as a Main Dish or Appetizer

Finger food at its best, all wrapped in flaky crust!!.

I have been way-laid on my original plan.  I went to the butcher shop today with the Boar's Head Arostica Chicken and Tavern Ham in mind to use for this but as they have been closed for vacation they are so very low on stock they didn't have it in yet.  So I will improvise and it will work just as well I am confident.

I have planned a garden salad and  "Hot Brown's in Crust" for supper.  Here are the ingredients:

2 sheets of frozen puff pastry, thawed overnight in the refrigerator
1/4 pound thinly sliced ham
1/4 pound sliced or shredded cheese of your choice, we like cheddar
French mustard
1 egg beaten well
7-8 slices of bacon fried crisp


First preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and place a sheet of parchment atop a baking sheet and set aside for now.  Cook the bacon and drain on paper towels.  Set the bacon aside.

Unfold the first sheet of puff pastry and roll it to about 12"x 14".  Carefully center it on the parchment covered baking sheet.  Spread a thin layer of the French mustard leaving a 1/2" strip around the perimeter plain.

Top  the mustard with thin slices of the ham.  Next place the bacon strips across the ham and finish with a layer of the shredded cheese.

Using a pastry brush lightly coat the outside edges with the beaten egg.  Roll out the second sheet of pastry to the same size and carefully lay it atop the ingredients.  Use the tines of a dinner fork and press the edges together all around.

Brush the top of the pastry with the beaten egg.  Cut 3-4 slits across the top so the steam can escape.  Bake for 35-40 minutes until brown and puffed.  Remove from the oven.  Slice into strips and serve warm.  You may also heat up some additional cheese sauce to pour across the servings if desired or to use as a dipping sauce for the strips.  Honey mustard would be a delicious dipping sauce.

Note:  When I make this again I will add a layer of chicken or turkey thinly sliced.  Today I sliced Field Kentuckian Ham into thin slices.

This can also be made and cut into very small portions and served as an appetizer and could be served either warm or cold.

Yield 14 slices.

Part 2 of Finishing the Comforter.

Yesterday was very enjoyable.  I had phone calls from people I don't hear from very often but love a lot.  Among them Cathy Outlaw and Flo Fifield whom I haven't seen or spoken with for probably a year.  Not because we aren't dear friends but because I knew them in another part of my life and our paths don't cross anymore unless we make it a special point to find each other.  I am sure you know just what I mean.....

I did get busy on the comforter I had started pinning together and tied the whole thing with a beautiful deep red yarn I had found for just that purpose.  This morning I pinned one side and have decided to overcast the edges all of the way around and then use a lovely blanket stitch (I love the looks of the blanket stitches!)  To finish it off.  I told Brian if I overcast it and then blanket stitch it nobody should ever have to rework it as that should bind it all very securely. 

I am going to use the beautiful deep red yarn for the blanket stitching as it should be a lovely contrast with the dark fabrics.  One thing I find interesting and rewarding is admiring all of the "old" styles of fabric that were used to piece this.  I hadn't thought about that until the intimacy of hand working all of this came to be.  Just an observation.

I telephoned Grandma Powell and got the names of her Mother and her Grandmother who pieced this and I am going to embroidery their names into this with a note that it was done in the early 1900's and that I finished it this year.  Then whoever of the children or grandchildren end up with these they will know from whence thy came.

Bacon, Potato, & Cheese Soup, just plain SINFUL, it's that good!

Thick, cheesy soup, studded with bacon and potatoes.

Some things are just beyond the pale and this soup just might be one of them!  Brian ate until he could eat no more last night!!  That is a good thing in his case.  He tends to want to nibble on junk and forgo a good meal some evenings.  At any rate I started with the general idea of Canadian Cheese Soup, the recipe was given under the same name on 9/29/10.  Then I shot off into updating it with potatoes and bacon resulting in a good thing ramping up to an out of this world comfort supper soup.

Ingredients for Bacon, Potato, & Cheese Soup:

3 potatoes diced
6 C. chicken stock
2 cans of evaporated milk (or 3 C. milk or half and half)
1 1/2 C. diced carrots
2 C. celery diced using tops and leaves
1/2 pound bacon diced
1/2 C. onions diced
1/2 C. flour
1 pound (16 Oz.) Kraft Sharpie Cheese ( Found in the grocery case with the American Cheese Slices in 8 Oz. pkg. of sliced cheese.)
6 chicken bouillon cubes
1 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
1/8-1/4 t. Cayenne pepper

Fry bacon and remove from the pan saving the fat.  Combine the stock,  bouillon cubes, seasonings,  and vegetables in a soup kettle and cook until fork tender then reduce the heat to a simmer.  When the vegetables are done heat the bacon drippings and add the flour, stirring to cook the flour over medium heat.  Then pour all at once the drippings and flour into the vegetables and broth stirring constantly as it thickens.  Add the milk.  Keep stirring.




Chunk the cheese into pieces the size of dice and drop into the simmering soup and add the bacon.  Stir altogether until melted.  Taste and correct seasonings. If the soup thickens more than you like just thin with a little additional stock or milk.  Ladle into mugs or bowls and serve with saltines.  Yield 2 1/2 quarts soup.