These Pear Ham and Cheese Puff Pastry Pockets are perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner time. Warm buttery, flaky pockets of ham, melty cheese & sweet pear are perfect for the cool weather. But it doesn’t stop there! They’re spread with sweet fig jam and topped with tart arugula for the most awesome flavor combo. Easy to make in just 30 minutes!
I received produce from FarmBox Direct to try them out and see how I like their service. All opinions and the recipe are 100% my own.
I love having warm sandwiches like Grilled Cheese and Tuna Melts for lunches when the weather gets cool. And since it is doing just that, it seemed like the perfect time to break out my fresh produce from FarmBox Direct and see what I could make. They sent me the most delicious looking produce including pears, apples, zucchini, colorful carrots, arugula and romaine. Check out Farmbox Direct for more info on all their boxes.
The pears and arugula brought to mind a delicious sandwich I had while visiting Vizcaya Museum in Miami. Theirs was a grilled version containing ham, gruyere cheese, fig jam and arugula. I loved all the flavors but I wanted something a little quicker and easier that I could throw together at the last minute. Hence these pockets of ham and cheese with a touch of seasonal pear.
These warm pockets with pear are simple to assemble, starting with packaged puff pastry, slices of deli ham and cheese, some arugula and a jar of fig jam. That’s it! Kids love putting these together and they’re easy to adapt so they can create their own pocket with their favorite flavors. Of course, mom could make them all too and serve them up hot and toasty with a bowl of warm soup. They even freeze well and can be taken right from the freezer to the oven to crisp up for another fantastic lunch.
Variations
- No fig jam on hand? No problem! You can add Dijon or yellow mustard or nothing at all.
- Change out the gruyere for cheddar, swiss or even Monterey Jack cheese.
- Don’t like pears? Try a thinly sliced apple. Apple goes great with cheeses as well as ham.
- Kids are not really into arugula, although they’ll hardly notice it in this sandwich. But you can leave it out or make this lunch even more healthy by subbing in some spinach.
- Add some crunchy texture with a thin slice of red onion in place of arugula.
- Breakfast offers the chance to add some cooked bacon to the mix. And who doesn’t like bacon!!
How to make puff pastry pockets
Gather the 6 simple ingredients – puff pastry, deli ham, Gruyere cheese, pears, fig jam and arugula.
- Thaw the puff pastry (usually about 20 minutes) then roll each sheet out to make it a little thinner and easier to fit everything on. Cut each sheet into 4 equal squares.
- Spread each square with fig jam to 1/2 inch of edges. Then brush edges with beaten egg wash to help seal it.
- To assemble:
A. First lay on a slice of ham, folding so it fits inside the 1/2″ border.
B. Lay a piece of diagonally sliced cheese on top of ham. Use Gruyere or replace with cheddar or your favorite cheese.
C. Top cheese with a thin slice of pear. If need be, cut slice in half and put one on top of the other.
D. Sprinkle with some arugula.
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- Fold over puff pastry to enclose ingredients and place on parchment-lined cookie sheet. (Note, I tried it with and without and the cleanup was definitely easier when I used a liner)
- Using the tines of a fork, press the edges together to seal.
- Brush the pockets with the remaining egg wash.
- Bake until pastry is a beautiful golden brown on top. It usually takes 18-25 minutes. I check every few minutes after the 18 minutes until it achieves the crusty top I like.
These easy to make sandwiches are the perfect warm, delicious lunch for home school kids and their harried parents. In fact they’re delicious enough for everyone, whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner. These hot pockets take just 30 minutes to make and the end result will be lots of oohs and aahs as they spy that warm ham and melty cheese. Believe me, it is well worth the ten minutes prep. Oh, and they even work for appetizers too! Enjoy!
Accompanying soup recipes
Easy Blender Tomato Basil Soup goes with anything and everything. And this one is simple to blend together and heat up.
Baked Potato Soup is a hearty soup with everything you love about a stuffed baked potato is soup form.
Broccoli Cheese Soup is like a bowl of broccoli with cheese sauce with some extra carrots and cashews mixed in. And it’s gluten free!
Instant Pot Sweet Potato Butternut Squash Soup is the perfect soup for fall. Sweet potatoes and butternut squash are cooked down to a creamy consistency and sweetened with apples and honey.
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Pear Ham & Cheese Puff Pastry Pockets
Ingredients
- 1 package frozen puff pastry thawed (2 sheets)
- 1/4 cup fig jam or mustard, if preferred
- 1 egg beaten
- 8 slices deli ham
- 4 slices Gruyere cheese cut in half diagonally
- 1 medium pear thinly sliced
- arugula
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Unfold both sheets of puff pastry. Roll out to a 12” square. Cut each sheet into 4 equal squares.
- Spread with a little fig jam so that it covers all but ½” around edges.
- Brush edges lightly with beaten egg. This will help hold and seal the pockets together.
- Place a slice of ham on one corner. Cut the ham or fold over so that it fits without touching the ½” edge.
- Place the Gruyere cheese on top of the ham, adjusting to fit.
- Place the pear slice on top of cheese. This can be cut in half and laid on top of each other if the pear slice is too large to fit.
- Sprinkle with a little arugula.
- Fold the other corner up and over filling so that it makes a triangular pocket. Press the edges together then seal by pressing with the tines of a fork.
- Place on parchment-lined cookie sheet. Lightly brush beaten egg over the top of the pockets.
- Bake 18-25 minutes or until the puff pastry is a nice golden brown. Serve immediately while still warm.
Notes
Nutrition
