Hi guys! I'm Laura Vitale, on this episode of Laura in the Kitchen I want to show you
how I make my delicious Ham and Cheese Croissants. They're so delicious, couldn't be easier to
make, you're going to need just a couple ingredients, so let me take you over them to get started.
You're going to need some store bought frozen puff pastry, that has been thawed in the fridge
overnight, and then your choice of cheese, I'm just using some cheddar and some smoked
ham, you're going to need one egg and with a little bit of water, and salt and pepper.
Now if you want to, you can certainly make your own puff pastry, but I have made it puff
pastry in the past, plenty of times and I can tell you its a very labor intensive process,
it takes a very long time and I just don't have the time or patience for it. And I think
puff pastry is one of the greatest bargains in the supermarket so, you'll find it in the
freezer section of any grocery store around the country, and if you want to use it, just
thaw it overnight in the fridge and its good to go! So, your cheese, and your ham, you
can use whatever you want. I make so many varieties of this, I make prosciutto mozzarella,
I make provolone and salami, you name it. So for now, we are just going to go right
into it. First thing you want to do is get your oven hot, to 425F. Second thing you want
to do is get a baking sheet and line it with parchment paper and get that ready. So now
we are going to start working with the puff pastry. I am going to lightly flour my work
surface, because I am going to roll this out just a little bit, because I want to get it
just a little bit thinner than it already is. So, just take my rolling pin and roll
it out. That's looking good. Now what I'm going to do, is I'm going to cut this in half,
then cut it in half again, and then you're going to cut in half again, but you're going
to do it this way, so you're going to have little triangles when you're done. Now I put
the rest of my triangles aside and now what I'm doing with my hands is just working it
so that you have the pointy side right in the center. Now here is how we are going to
do this. You're going to take your ham, and then you're just going to fit it, OK, just
like that because these are going to be folded in anyway, top it with your piece of cheese,
you can do a little extra ham and cheese if you want, if you want them real cheesy, just
like so, another little half piece of cheese. Now, I have beaten my little egg here with
a little bit of water, and that's going to make the glue, its going to make these really
really pretty as well when were done. And now you're just going to fold them up, which
is really simple to do, just fold them on each other. Just roll them, just like that.
that's how I make them. you'll want the little pointy end to be at the bottom. Don't worry
these will puff up, and they are not going to be like these huge croissants, but they
are going to be puffed up and gorgeous. So continue to do those until they are all stuffed.
Last one done, look how cute they are. And I just want to give you a heads up really quickly.
These are fantastic for brunch. They are fantastic at anytime of day. But, if you want to, you
can make these ahead up until this point, and then freeze them, so whenever you want
to make them just thaw them overnight in the fridge and pop them in the oven the next morning.
You have homemade ham and cheese croissants. I know! So, what I am going to do now is brush
the tops really well with the egg wash because it is going to help them brown, and get lovely
and beautiful and golden as they puff up, and then because these are savory, what I
want to do, is I want to sprinkle just a little bit of salt and pepper over the top, just
because, well they are savory, and I like it. If I was making say, Nutella croissants
then I would skip that step and just finish them with a little confectioners sugar. But
for these, this is how I like them. A little bit of salt, not too much, and these are going
to go into your preheated oven at 425F for about 15 minutes or so, or until they are
golden brown and puffed up. My little croissants baked for about 15 minutes, and they are lightly
golden, they've puffed up, and are ready to be eaten, which is exactly what I am going
to do to this one right here. I'm really excited, but its going to be really hot. So good, but
hot. So delicious, so quick, so simple, and like I said, if you want to make them in advance
and freeze them before you bake them, more power to you, so go ahead and do that. As
you can see, they don't take anytime at all, they just require a few ingredients, and they
come out perfect every single time. I hope you have enjoyed spending time with me, go
to www.laurainthekitchen.com to get the recipe, and I will see you next time. Bye bye!