DIJON HAM BRAID HAM DIJON BRAID

• 1/2 box puff pastry (one sheet)
• 4 oz cream cheese, cubed (can use low fat)
• 1 tbsp milk
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 2 cup diced, fully cooked smoked ham
• 1 medium egg yolk
• 1 tbsp cold water
• 1/2 tsp poppyseeds

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Roll pastry into 15" x 10" rectangle on floured surface.
3. Place pastry on ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Make 2" cuts at 1" intervals on both long sides of pastry.
5. Set aside.
6. Heat cream cheese, milk and mustard in saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until smooth and creamy.
7. Stir ham into cream cheese mixture.
8. Can add other ingredients as desired, such as peas, corn, bell peppers, etc.
9. Spoon ham mixture down the center 4" of pastry.
10. Take side strips of pastry and criss-cross over filling to create a closed pastry encasing the mixture.
11. Beat egg yolk with water and brush over the braided pastry.
12. Sprinkle poppy seeds over pastry.
13. Optional.
14. Bake about 25 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and puffed.
15. Makes 6 servings of 325 calories each.
16. This recipe has been published, but I don't know where.
17. I only have the recipe, not the creator, though I would love to give appropriate credit.
18. VARIATIONS: Spoon mixture into puff pastry shells and serve as bite sized appetizers or at pot luck for easy serving.
19. I have also divided the pastry into single serve sizes and froze after baking for a quick grab lunch.
20. Reheating works best in a toaster oven rather than microwave.
21. Today I added small strips of Swiss cheese for a little more flavor.
22. I did not have poppy seeds on hand so I omitted them.
23. It is really up to you what kind of flavors you want to mix in with the ham and cream cheese mixture.
24. Just about anything will work.
25. Having trimmed the pastry, I had some extra.
26. I decided to make a bite size packet which you also see in the photo.
27. The variations are endless.
28. You could make bitesize packets for easier serving at a potluck or as an appetizer.
29. I recommend lining your cookie sheet with so foil.
30. There is some seepage that will burn onto your cookie sheet.
31. This just makes quick clean up.
32. Give your loaf a few minutes to set up after taking it out of the oven.
33. It will be easier to cut and serve if it has h ad time to solidify a bit.
34. Otherwise, it will be very gooey.

pastry, cream cheese, milk, mustard, ham, egg yolk, water, poppyseeds

Taken from cookpad.com/us/recipes/336005-dijon-ham-braid-ham-dijon-braid (may not work)