Croque Monsieur Pockets

This great pocket sandwich recipe is from the latest Food Network magazine. Ham and cheese go perfectly together and ham and gruyere go especially perfect together. I used Pillsbury Simply French Bread Dough (to make this dinner super simple), but you could also use a batch of homemade French bread dough or pizza dough. I really loved these little sandwiches and so did my family. Gruyere can be pricey, so for a more economical version use Swiss in the place of gruyere.

Croque Monsieur Pockets

2 cups shredded gruyere cheese (8 oz)
9 oz deli ham (I used Oscar Meyer Black Forest Ham), chopped into small pieces
1 1/2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tubes refrigerated French bread dough (Pillsbury Simply French Bread or Pillsbury Crusty French Bread)
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 425. In a mixing bowl combine shredded cheese, chopped ham, mustard, nutmeg, and cayenne. Set aside.

Remove French bread dough from 1 tube and cut into 4 equal portions. Roll out the dough portions into a thin rectangle. Place a heaping spoonful of the filling onto the middle of the rectangle. Fold the 2 shorter sides of the dough over the filling, stretching the dough to cover. Fold the 2 long sides of the dough to form a packet. Pinch the edges to seal. Repeat with remaining French bread dough.

Place pockets seam side down on non-stick sprayed, parchment lined or silpat lined baking sheets. Beat egg with water and brush egg wash onto the pockets. Bake until browned, about 15 minutes.