Puffed pastry stuffed with soppressata and Gruyere

I'm sure someone somewhere thinks premade puff pastry is an abomination. This is not that blog. I think puff pastry packages are these godsends in frozen form that go from pale logs to impromptu hostess' savior in not much more than an hour. It's like the magic of television only in real time. Anything in puff pastry looks impressive, but the most impressive part is the ease-to-looks ratio. Really, the only guidelines to keep in mind with puff pastry is to not overthaw it, and to be very careful about leaving a border so the edges can seal. (Oozing puffs are somehow less impressive.) I'm sure if I made my own, it would no doubt be fab, but it wouldn't be as magic.

Soppressata and cheese in puff pastry
From "How Easy Is That?" by Ina Garten

Ingredients
1 package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Thinly sliced soppressata salami (about 12 of the 3 1/2-inch rounds, or 18 of the smaller rounds)
6 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated
1 egg beaten, with 1 tablespoon water

Method
Thaw puff pastry sheets. Depending on the weather, this is going to take anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes. Check closer to the 30-minute mark. You want to start working with the pastry the minute it becomes vaguely pliable, because otherwise it quickly gets too stretchy. On a floured sheet, roll pastry out to a 10-inch square. (The longer side is already 10 inches out of the box, so you're just evening out the shape on the other side.) Transfer to a parchment covered baking sheet.

Spread the mustard over the sheet, leaving a 1-inch border around the outside. Top with salami, overlapping edges slightly. Sprinkle the cheese on top. Brush the outside border with the egg wash.

Roll out the remaining sheet into a square slightly larger than 10 inches (that way it will accommodate the mound of stuff on top of the other sheet). Press to seal the edges. (Don't worry if they don't line up perfectly now; you're going to fix that in a bit.) Brush top with egg wash. Cut three long slashes on the top to vent. Place baking sheet in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to chill.

Preheat oven to 450. Remove your stuffed puff from the refrigerator. Using a sharp knife or a pastry cutter, trim the edges so they're even. (This is much easier when the dough is chilled.) Bake for 18 to 25 minutes, rotating the pan once if your oven isn't evenly heated. (The original recipe called for 20 to 25, but I wish I'd checked just a bit sooner.) Let sit for a few minutes to settle and then cut into squares.

Rating: How easy is that? Pretty dang easy. Honestly, the hardest part was finagling the large baking sheet into the refrigerator at the height of fresh produce season. How tasty is that? Dave's response: So this is like the world's fanciest ham and cheese sandwich. Pretty much so, and pretty tasty. And you can easily imagine how you can vary the meat/cheese/flavorants to your liking and what's in the frig and what you're in the mood for. Thank you puff pastry gods.