Joan’s Corned Beef and Cabbage with Puff Pastry

14   ounces      Cabbage, cored and cut into ½ x 4 inch strips

3    tbsp         Unsalted Butter

3    tbsp         All Purpose Flour

1    cup           Milk

1    cup           grated Gruyere Cheese

1    tbsp plus 1 -1/2 tsp    Coarse-grained Mustard

¼  tsp            Nutmeg

¼  tsp            dried Dill weed

                     Cayenne Pepper

8  ounces         very thinly sliced cooked Corned Beef, cut into ½ x 4 inch strips

2  pounds         Puff Pastry

1                    Egg beaten with 1 teaspoon cold water, glaze

Cook cabbage in large pot of lightly salted boiling water until tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Drain, squeeze dry in towel.

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir 3 minutes. Whisk in milk. Cook until mixture is smooth and very thick, whisking constantly, 4 to 5 minutes.

Gradually mix in Gruyere. Add mustard, nutmeg, dill and cayenne pepper. Stir in corned beef and cabbage. Cool.

Divide filling among six 1 cup ramekins. Cut puff pastry in half. Roll first piece out on lightly floured surface to thickness of 1/8 inch (refrigerate second piece). Cut out 3 rounds 2-1/4 inches larger in diameter than ramekins, using bowl as guide. Reserve scraps. Brush 1 side of round with glaze. Arrange glazed side down atop ramekin, pressing firmly against sides of ramekin and pushing up slightly at rim; do not press down on rim. Press pastry to side of ramekin with tines of fork to seal. Trim pastry overhang to ¾ inch.  Repeat with remaining 2 pastry rounds on two more ramekins.

Roll out second piece of pastry. Cut and assemble on three ramekins as above. Reserve scraps. Brush tops and sides of pastries with glaze. Score tops in grid pattern; do not cut through pastry.

 Gather scraps. Roll out 3/8 inch thick on lightly floured surface. Cut out twelve 2 inch shamrocks. Brush with glaze. Arrange on baking sheet glaze side up. Place ramekins on baking sheet. Refrigerate shamrocks and ramekins at least 30 minutes.

(Can be prepared up to 6 hours ahead to this point)

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Place baking sheet with ramekins and shamrocks in oven and bake until pastry in golden brown and filling is hot, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer pies to plates and arrange 1 shamrock atop each pie and 1 on each plate.

The same quantity of ingredients to serve twelve for a group function was baked in a 9 x 12 pan covered with puff pastry rolled to fit pan.

Place one four leaf clover atop each pie (available only in Ireland)