Sweet & Sour Salami En Croute

Since I was little, one of my family's favorite appetizers has always been my mother's Sweet & Sour Salami. It featured at almost every family event, BBQ, and more. It became one of those appetizers that my siblings and I expected, so even if my mother wanted to try new recipes, she knew she also had to make this -- god forbid we don't have the salami. She served it plain, with mustard, and often with tiny pumpernickel loaf (seriously cute, you know those little sliced loaves that are like smaller than a cracker?) My brothers both make this dish often when they are asked to bring an appetizer to a friend, because, well - it's just really easy, and always delicious.

I'll be honest, the other day I was at the mall and I saw Auntie Anne's little pretzel dogs, and they got me thinking... what if I put the entire Sweet & Sour Salami into a dough? This way, its as if each one comes with it's own little bread, and it kind of spices up a old and traditional family favorite.

Tonight is game two of the NBA finals, and while I am not a HUGE sports fan, I do love basketball, and I am a proud Clevelander. So, here's to a Cavs win tonight, and another year of being champions!

This is a great dish for a party, an appetizer for a BBQ, shabbos lunch addition, you name it.

SWEET & SOUR SALAMI EN CROUTE

Ingredients

2 lb kosher salami

10 oz sweet & sour sauce

1/4 C brown sugar

1 Tbsp apple juice (you can use water or orange juice if you don't have any on hand)

2 sheets puff pastry (I use pepperidge farm)

1 egg

3 Tbsp Everything But The Bagel (Trader Joes) Spice

Directions

Mix brown sugar, sweet & sour sauce and juice

Make diagonal slits in the salami about every ½ inch (almost though, but do not cut through)

Place Salami in an aluminum pan or foil covered pan.

Cover with 2/3 of sauce (spoon it into to the slits and all)

Bake at 325 for 2 ½ hours

Baste with remaining sauce & remove from the oven

Connect the two pastry sheets (longwise) and spoon drippings from the sauce and spread it around the pastry

Place the salami onto the pastry, slits side down - and wrap the pastry around it until covered, and closed (tuck ends in) - and then turn it right side up (slits facing upwards, pastry seam on the bottom).

Carefully slit the pastry in the same place the salami is cut

Mix the egg, and brush onto the pastry, and lightly coat with the everything bagel spice

Place back into the oven on 375 for approximately 30 minutes, or until pastry is golden

* Serve with Mustard, or sauce of choice