This didn’t start with me.
Every Sunday was the same growing up in my house. Both mom and dad were in the kitchen cooking, sometimes good ole eggs and bacon, sometimes kimchi fried rice.
It didn’t matter. We just loved waking up to the smell of something delicious coming out of the kitchen.
We all sat down to Sunday morning breakfast before going to church as a family. The table was always filled completely with amazing food. And if we were having Korean food, my mom was sure to have several different kinds of banchan (Korean side dishes and veggies) at the table. This is how we did Sundays.
As a kid, I remember helping my mom in the kitchen and when I was old enough, she would lure me into the kitchen with promises of 
And with my passion for food and cooking, I now can’t look at food the same. I can’t just slap together a simple sandwich for myself .. Â I have to add something or make a sauce . . Â or even bake the bread myself. I prep our family’s weekly dinner menu over the weekend and even plan out my lunches.
This tart happened one week when I had numerous deadlines. I just made it for myself not intending this to be for the blog. . Â but it was so delicious and simple. I had to share this with you today. I mean, I would expect nothing less when puff pastry is involved. Â . . but this is REALLY good. The ingredients that really bring this tart to life are the dijon mustard + the fig jam. Oh yes, you heard me right. I hoarded this all to myself and ate this everyday for lunch for three days straight. I added some fresh arugula on top and went to town.
My mother will be here soon visiting us and I’ve already started compiling a list of things I am going to make for her while she is here. It’s not just about Korean food. She loves all foods and this tart made the list.
I hope you give this one a try!
Baked Ham and Cheese Tart
Ingredients
- 1 to 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon apricot or fig jam
- 1 package 2 sheets all-butter frozen puff pastry, defrosted but still cold
- 8 ounces thinly sliced country ham or Black Forrest ham
- 6 ounces cheddar cheese or gruyere cheese freshly grated
- 1 large egg plus 1 to 2 teaspoons water beaten
Instructions
- Position rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Combine and whole grain mustard, dijon mustard and the jam in a small bowl and mix together. Unfold or unroll one sheet of the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. Gently roll with a rolling pin if needed and place the puff pastry sheet on the prepared baking sheet and brush on the mustard/jam mixture over the puff pastry, leaving about an inch border between the mustard and the edge of pastry. Place the ham evenly over the mustard and then evenly sprinkle the grated cheese over the ham.
- Unfold and roll out the second sheet of puff pastry and gently place it on top of the ham and cheese and fold the outer edges over and together with your fingers, creating a thick crust. You can use a fork to create lines around the edge if desired. (Dip the fork in flour if it sticks to the puff pastry during pressing.) Lightly brush a layer of egg wash over the top and edges of the pie. Cut a few small slits into the top/center of the pie and bake until cooked through and golden brown, for about 30 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving.
Recipe adapted from 
i recognize that first sentence from somewhere… 😛
But really, a beautiful post and I love how your parents always tried to get you involved in the kitchen and how you’re passing that on to your kids!
haha! I know. . I had to share and it felt appropriate. . 😛 thanks Joanne!
I feel the same way! Once you start making more things from scratch, it’s hard to go back, because you know just how good it can be. LOVE anything with puff pastry (also where did you get that adorable water glass??)
Erin, it’s from Anthropologie!!! it’s actually a milk glass but I love it!
That looks really amazing girl. I love how crunchy this has got to be with that cheese and ham inside. And I love the Anthropologie plate haha.
Your Sundays sound so great, what a fun family tradition you had growing up. This tart looks incredible – I would eat this for any meal of the day!
I saw this recipe and I thought ” I seen this on Bobby Flay’s Show!”. It looks so good and I have been trying to make it for a while but your looks so good! I am so retweeting this deliciousness!
Thanks Nicole!! Yes, from Mr. Bobby Flay!! 😛
I’m the same way! My family complains that I don’t make enough “simple plain food.” LOL. Food blogger probs. 😉 This tart looks totally amazing! I’d love a huge slice right about now. 😀
I have a not-so-secret love affair with fig jam and using it on sandwiches (or any other half-reasonable excuse).
And yay for us mommas spending time in the kitchen with our kids! There’s a reason why they call the kitchen the heart of the home 🙂
SO beautiful and tasty looking, love the puff pastry!!
Oh Alice, I love that your parents passed on that knowledge and appreciation of good food that you can now pass on to your kids 🙂 So beautiful just like this tart. Puff pastry totally has my heart and I love the flavors in here!
Wow that looks good. I love the addition of the fig jam but am really annoyed that I don’t have any and I’m not ALLOWED to make/buy anymore as we have so much jam in stock already. Thank goodness we’ve got some apricot lurking somewhere so I’ll try that instead! Actually, the “must eat jam” rule could work in my favour … 😀
I love the flavor combination and how it feels and looks really special, but is so easy to prepare! Yum!
Thanks so much April .. yes, I love how easy puff pastry is. . and you get great, beautiful results without doing much!
I know I have a stash of fig jam and this would be a huge hit at my house! Loved hearing about your Sunday mornings…they were like that around our house, too, except for no Korean food!
haha, thank you Liz!! You will seriously love this tart. . the mustard + the fig jam is such a treat!!
This looks simply delicious! You can’t go wrong with ham, cheese and puff pastry! I also loved reading your prompt from the Big Harvest Potluck! It was great to meet you there!
Thank you, Mallory!! Loved meeting you too!! Will you be sharing your prompt any time soon? 😛
What a great Sunday morning tradition you had growing up! I absolutely love the appreciation of food your family has, almost as much as I love this ham and cheese tart!
You have SUCH dedication, Alice–I think it’s wonderful that you still sit down to create all of this gorgeous food for your family! I love cooking too, but goodness knows that after a long day I’m just happy with a cup of Greek yogurt and some peanut butter stirred in. Oops. I really love this recipe–great share!
oh my gawd, thanks girl! everything changes when you are feeding little mouths. . 😛
This looks fabulous! My favorite ingredients 🙂
This was one of my favorite meals during my grad school days. It was easy, inexpensive and delicious!
Your mom is gonna love this tart – look at that flaky crust!!! WOW!!!
It looks delicious! Thanks so much for sharing.
This tart looks absolutely dreamy! And I’m totally with you – food always needs a special twist in my house, especially after starting my blog. I just can’t help myself 😉
Fabulous recipe. I can totally relate, food is not the same anymore. Making it my own and special makes it so much better
Wow this tart is simply wonderful! Simple yet flavourful. . Delicious! ! 🙂
Alice, I love this post so much! I grew up always avoiding my Korean roots (and now really regret telling those sweet Korean moms “no” when they told me to come over and learn how to make kimchi) and am only now learning how to make Korean food. I love that your kids will grow up knowing the importance of food (of every kind) and family. This tart looks wonderful and I’m so glad you shared it with us!
These are all the very best ingredients to make a sandwich! I love the addition of fig jam. And I love the story of your heritage and cooking with your family. I have often wished I had a person like that in my life who was passionate about cooking and wanted to share the knowledge with me. Not that the women in my family don’t cook or share recipe cards, but it’s not the same as what you described or what you feel now when you think about food. I totally get it. One of the first gifts I requested for my toddler was a play kitchen. Right now he pretty much sticks to making pretend sandwiches and bean soup, but I think the interest is there! Crossing fingers!
I love puff pastry too! For me it elevates any meal into something truly special, this tart included. I can totally see the Dijon mustard & fig jam adding another flavour dimension! Love it.
Oh Alice this is such a great post!! I love the connection you have with food and how it will be passed down to your daughters 🙂 (And I am so inspired to get going on my prompts too from the weekend!)
Woah…that tart just made me really hungry! It looks absolutely delicious. And I couldn’t agree with you more…cooking is more than just making food. I love the idea of sharing the skills and experiences with your kids so that they in turn love to cook. 🙂
When I browse through the ingredients list, I know the recipe can’t be wrong 🙂 The cheese tart in the picture looks so delicious and I want to add it to my Sunday list too!
One thing we have in common, I love having a big bowl of kimchi fried rice for a Sunday breakfast! Both my boyfriend and I like to cook it, and we add a slice of cheese and a fried egg to make it fancier. Just love to splurge on the weekend!
This looks amazing! Thank you for sharing. I’d love to make it ahead this week in preparation for weekend guests – can you make it and then refrigerate before baking? Or bake first and then refrigerate and re-heat when serving? I’m a beginner and this is totally a question I’d call my mom to ask 🙂
Hi Cari! Thanks for the comment! If you have to make it ahead of time, prep it and then refrigerate before baking. And right before putting it in the oven, do the egg wash. (do not do the egg wash and then refrigerate). How long do you plan to have it in the fridge? I’d say try not to have it in there for longer than one hour if possible. And since you will be refrigerating it, let it rest outside on your counter for at least 10 minutes if you can before baking, otherwise, baking time might be a little longer. When working with puff pastry, it’s BEST (and tastes best) when prepped and baked right away. Let me know how this turns out, I’d love to hear!! Good luck! I think you will love this tart! 🙂
Thank you for the great tips!! Can’t wait to try it, I’ll keep you posted 🙂