French Pig In A Blanket

French style pig in a blanket!
  
     Not only can I say that I never post a boring breakfast recipe in this blog, I can say the same about hot dog recipes.  Pig in a blanket is usually made with biscuit dough.  I used puff pastry for this French pig in a blanket version.  An all beef Vienna style thick hot dog is the pig in the blanket.  Dijon mustard and gruyere cheese are in the blanket too.
     I used a pre-made sheet of store bought frozen puff pastry dough, so this recipe would be easy to make.  Very few modern chefs make their own puff pastry.  Pastry chefs who have dough laminating machines do make fresh puff pastry.  I will post a Blitz Puff Pastry recipe in this blog someday, when I am bored!
  
     French Pig In A Blanket Recipe:
     Cut a square shaped piece of puff pastry dough that is almost as long as the hot dog and wide enough to wrap around the hot dog.
     Spread some dijon mustard over the piece of puff pastry, but leave a 1/2" border bare.
     Place a few thin slices of gruyere cheese on the mustard.  (If no gruyere is available, then Swiss Cheese is a good substitute.)
     Place a hot dog on top of the cheese, dijon mustard and puff pastry.  The ends of the hot dog should be slightly exposed.
     Roll the puff pastry and hot dog together to wrap the hot dog with a single layer of puff pastry.
     Brush the inside edge of the puff pastry with egg wash.
     Press the seam of the dough together.
     Place the pig in a blanket on a wire roasting rack on a baking pan.
     Be sure to place the French pig in a blanked on the rack with the seam of the pastry facing down.
     Use a knife to score small marks across the top of the pastry.
     Brush the pastry with egg wash.
     Bake the pig in a blanket in a 375º oven, till the pastry becomes fully cooked and it becomes a golden brown color.
     Use a spatula to set the pig in a blanket on a plate.
     Garnish the plate with a curly parsley sprig and pickles.
  
     Delicious!  The dijon mustard and cheese combines to give this pig in a blanket a very appealing flavor.  The hot dog puffs up when cooked in a blanket.  Using a wire rack causes the pastry to cook evenly with no burnt bottom.  A small amount of pastry will stick to the wire rack, but that is nothing to be concerned about.  A parchment paper lined pan is another good method.  This is a delicious French Pig In A Blanket!  ...  Shawna