THE RECIPE EVERYONE ASKS ME FOR
Greetings! Last week I shared with you a post called “How To Host A Beautiful Rehearsal Dinner”. One of the hors d’oeuvres that I prepared for that party was the recipe everyone asks me for:
Celia’s French Sandwich
Honestly, if you’d like to become the hit of the next party you are invited to, make my French Sandwich. You’ll meet all kinds of new friends this way because everyone at the party will come up to you, give you accolades for your French Sandwich, and then will undoubtedly, ask you for the recipe. A that point, feel free to take all the credit, or, simply direct them to my blog:)
It’s a very easy recipe to make. This is all you’ll need:
Start by thawing (according to package instructions) 2 sheets of prepared puff pastry, bringing them to room temperature. My market carries Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets in the freezer section. Each package contains 2 sheets of pastry, just the right amount for this recipe.
Each sheet must be rolled out to fit a 12″ x 17″ sheet pan. To do that dust your work surface lightly with flour.
Unfold a single sheet of pastry, lay it over the floured surface and then lightly dust the pastry and your rolling pin with more flour. Take care not to use too much flour or it will dry out the pastry and give it a dull appearance.
Now, go preheat your oven to 400°F.
Spray your sheet pan generously with cooking spray, then check to see that you have rolled the pastry out sufficiently to fit your pan, allowing a bit of excess as well.
Next, set the pan aside and fold the dough over in half.
Then, carefully slide the folded puff pastry onto 1/2 of your greased sheet pan,
Unfold the pastry dough so that it covers the entire surface of the pan and allows the excess dough to drape over all 4 sides.
Next you’ll need a jar of coarse ground mustard. I prefer and highly recommend, Grey Poupon Country Dijon. Whatever you do, please don’t use classic yellow mustard, it just won’t be the same.
Cover the bottom of the pastry dough with a thin layer of mustard. This will consume about 2/3rds of an 8 oz. jar of mustard.
The next thing you’ll need is about a half pound of paper-thin sliced Genoa Salami. Purchase this in the Deli section of your supermarket and ask them to slice it as thin as possible without shredding it. Please don’t buy a prepackaged bag of salami, it too will just not be the same! That’s because TEXTURE is so important in food preparation. If your Genoa Salami is too thick it will be difficult to bite into this delectable appetizer, and a thicker salami will produce an altogether different texture, resulting in a different taste.
However, I did recently discover that Costco sells this package of gourmet sliced meats. One of the 3 types of meat in the package is very thinly sliced Genoa Salami that does work well in my French Sandwich.
Next, cover the entire surface of the pan with overlapping rows of salami.
Now, grate 1 pound of Pepper Jack Cheese.
and sprinkle it evenly over the salami.
Roll out the second sheet of puff pastry dough just as you did the first, making sure it is slightly larger than the size of the pan. Fold it in half and carefully slide it over half of the pan, allowing the excess dough to drape over the sides.
Unfold the dough so that it covers the entire surface of the pan.
Using your fingers, roll the excess pastry dough up and over, and pinch it together along the inside edge of the pan.
Using a fork, press down firmly on the edges to seal the 2 layers of pastry dough together. You want to insure that they do not separate and open during the baking process.
Now, make yourself an egg wash. Do this by beating 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl until incorporated. Using a pastry brush, lightly cover the pastry dough with a thin layer of egg wash. The egg wash will ensure that the pastry will brown nicely and have a lovely golden color when baked.
Place the French Sandwich in the center rack of the oven, preheated to 400° F, and bake for about 20 minutes or until your French Sandwich is puffy and golden brown, the pastry fully cooked and the cheese nice and melty.
Using a long spatula, immediately transfer the fresh-out-of-the-oven French Sandwich onto a large cutting board that is at least as big as the French Sandwich. The cutting board will be your serving platter as well.
With a very large and long cleaver/knife, cut the French Sandwich on the diagonal into small, bite-sized triangles.
Serve hot to your very happy guests. I guarantee, there will be no leftovers!
So there you have it: The Recipe Everyone Asks Me For
CELIA’S FRENCH SANDWICH
ENJOY!
- 1 Package Frozen Puff Pastry Dough (2 sheets)
- 1- 8 oz. Jar Grey Poupon Country Style Mustard
- ½ Lb Genoa Salami, Sliced Paper-Thin
- 1 Lb. Pepper Jack Cheese, Grated
- 1 Egg
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Spray a 12" x 17" sheet pan with cooking spray.
- Thaw 2 sheets puff pastry dough according to package instructions to room temperature.
- Roll out 2 sheets of puff pastry dough on a lightly floured surface to be slightly larger than the sheet pan.
- Lay 1 sheet of pastry onto the greased sheet pan, allowing the excess dough to drape over all 4 sides.
- Coat the entire bottom of the pastry dough with a thin layer of mustard (using about ⅔rds of jar).
- Layer the Genoa Salami in overlapping rows, completely covering the bottom of the pan.
- Sprinkle Pepper Jack Cheese evenly over the salami.
- Lay the second layer of pastry dough over the pan, allowing the excess dough to drape over the sides.
- Using your fingers, roll the two layers of excess dough up and in along the edge of the pan.
- Pinch the dough together.
- Using a fork, crimp the edges of the dough to form a tightly sealed crust.
- Crack the egg into a small bowl, add 1 T. water and beat with a fork to incorporate.
- Brush egg wash lightly over the top layer of pastry dough, including the edges.
- Bake in the center of the oven for about 20 minutes until puffy and golden brown.
- Using a large spatula, immediately slide onto a cutting board, large enough to fit the entire French Sandwich.
- Using a large knife, cut on the diagonal into bite sized pieces.
- Serve hot, using the cutting board as your serving platter.
This is my most popular recipe, getting 1.5 million views per month on Pinterest. I hope you like it!
Thanks for dropping in! Do please leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you!
All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Unless otherwise credited, all photos are the original property of Celia Becker @ www.AfterOrangeCounty.com and may not be reproduced without specific permission. This post contains an affiliate link.
