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Irish Style Jambon Pastry are pastry pockets filled with cheese and cubes of ham sold at delis across Ireland. They’re the perfect snack, breakfast on the go, or appetizer for your next party.

 

I tried to make these Jambon about a year ago. I failed miserably. The pastry got too dark, and I couldn’t salvage them. They tasted delicious, though. So, I knew I would have to make them again. And since it’s almost St. Patrick’s Day, I figured now was as a good a time as any to re-make these gems.

 

St. Patrick’s Day is around the corner.  I try to honor my Irish roots and make something that is somewhat authentic Irish cuisine.  Do I eat corned beef and cabbage?  OF COURSE!  But that’s not traditional Irish cuisine.  So, when St. Patrick’s Day comes around I try to share true Irish recipes or as true as I can make them.

 

 

What is a Jambon?

 

It’s a simple pastry filled with cheese and ham. Mine have scrambled eggs in them while others combine the eggs with the cheese. And some have a béchamel sauce base in there. I’m not quite sure how those will travel but I will give them a try. Because these are delicious and well, you know I love all things puff pastry.

 

Jambon is sold at Irish deli counters typically for breakfast. They are great on the go food to take while driving to work. In fact, that’s part of their popularity. People in Ireland spend more and more time in their cars which means an increased need for quick, ready to eat food like this. This, along with readily available small ovens, meant deli counters could offer customers more choices too.

 

 

I think they’re more along the lines of junk food in Ireland, though. They’re sold at gas stations, and you can find frozen versions in the supermarkets. I mean, imagine someone from Ireland coming here and falling in love with a chicken stick or a taquito from 7-11! I imagine that!

 

How do you make Jambon?

 

Mine are simple, but like I said, some call for béchamel sauce. While that’s not a difficult sauce to make, it does change the way you make them. I wanted to keep mine simple and focus on making it a portable breakfast recipe. Because I have been obsessed with breakfast lately. Especially having eggs for breakfast.

 

 

I spent a while drinking smoothies for breakfast, but just missed eating eggs. While the smoothies were delicious, for the most part, I really want eggs for breakfast. It can be as simple as eggs and toast and I’m happy. But this post isn’t about what I want to eat for breakfast.

 

I lightly scrambled my eggs making sure they were barely cooked through. Since they will be cooked twice, I didn’t want to cook them completely which would make them dry and unappealing later. There’s nothing worse than a dry and overcooked egg except maybe a well done steak. That’s why I went for a soft, cooked egg to put in my Jambon.

 

 

The cheese is traditional Emmentaler, but I didn’t go that route. I kept it simple and used some baby Swiss on the bottom and some Parmesan on top. Next time I make these I will get the Emmentaler. Maybe for game day?

 

I put the eggs on the cheese and then topped the eggs with diced ham. I used regular jam. Traditionally it’s made with Jambon ham. That’s a French boneless ham from the rear haunches of the pig that contains different muscles. Jambon is slowly cooked in its own juices which makes it naturally low in sodium and perfect for this recipe. Next time, I’ll find some and make mine more authentic.

 

 

Finally, you pull up the corners and press them together. I pinched the edges of my pastry to make sure the cheese didn’t bake out. The first time I made these I didn’t pinch the seams and the cheese cooked out. So, this time I pinched the seams.

 

Since I used crescent dough I didn’t do an egg wash to these Jambon pastries.  When I made them with puff pastry, I did give them an egg wash.  It gives the puff pastry a nice color and sheen.  And makes them look more fancy.

 

 

What does Irish Style Jambon taste like?

 

Crispy on the outside and packed with delicious eggs, ham, and cheese on the inside. The combination of the Swiss and Parmesan is so good. They’re both strong, salty cheeses which are perfect on top of the eggs and rich ham. And if you want to put the béchamel on top, go for it! It would add another layer of flavor that would taste delicious.

 

Irish Style Jambon are quick to make, too. And you can make them ahead of time and reheat them before eating. You can take this idea and change it up with a range of fillings. I’m thinking of some prosciutto and maybe some sun-dried tomatoes with Mozzarella. Or maybe some Gruyere and caramelized onions. That would be good!

 

 

Unless you don’t like eggs, ham, or cheese, you can’t tell me these don’t look delicious. And packed with hearty breakfast ingredients in a handy portable pastry breakfast. Sneak in some spinach or even bell peppers to make Irish Style Jambon a deliciously healthy on the go breakfast.

 

I’ve made these with both puff pastry and crescent roll dough. Either one tastes delicious. I couldn’t find puff pastry to make these this time, but the next round I will go back to using puff pastry. And I might try combining the cheese with the eggs and see how those turn out. The eggs and cheese bake up into a delicious saucy cheesy egg goodness.

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