Hurricane Matthew blew a VIP house guest into my world last weekend. And VIP house guests warrant VIP mornings. So, here’s what you’re going to do:

1. Check for the NYT at least three times only to conclude that the category 4 hurricane took it on quite a journey instead of to your coffee table. Make sure that you are wearing bedclothes topped with a trench coat – the wind won’t catch either of these breezy items at all…
2. Decide you’re reading the travel section online this week and crack open a bottle of champagne.
3. Corral your guest out of the kitchen so they can’t see how you will inevitably end up with flour everywhere.
4. Cook some gorgeous savoury breakfast pastries that are full of spinach, ham, swiss, and bechamel. Repeat “bechamel” a few times because it’s fun to say. These only look like they are at ton of trouble to make. Shhhh…. they’re really easy! This comes in handy when you’re drinking a bottle of Billecart-Salmon in the late morning. 😉

Check out these lovely pastries that cover all of your sensory needs – crispy, crunchy, flaky, salty, creamy, cheesy, and just a little vegetable-y.

And voila! You get to keep your house guest for another day.

Savoury Breakfast Pastries  

Serves 4

• 2 sheets of puff pastry, thawed in the refrigerator
• 1 egg
• 1 T water

For the bechamel:

• 2 T. unsalted butter
• 2 T. flour
• 1 c. warm milk
• Pinch of salt
• Pepper to taste

For the filling:

• 1/2 pound cooked ham, diced
• 2 c. fresh spinach, chopped
• 1 c. swiss cheese, shredded

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Cut puff pastry into 4, 5″ squares. Place on silpat lined baking sheet, then into the refrigerator until ready to use.
3. In a medium sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour until mixture is golden brown.
4. Pour in warm milk and stir along bottom of the sauce pan until smooth.Stir until mixture boils, about 7 minutes.
5. Reduce heat to low. Simmer sauce until thickened, about 10  minutes. Stir frequently so that sauce does not burn.
6. Stir in spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes.
7. Add ham and cheese. Stir well. Remove from heat.
8. Remove pastry from the refrigerator and divide saucy mixture between the four pastries.
9. Fold up each corner of the pastry toward the center (they will not touch) like an envelope.
10. Whisk one egg with one tablespoon of water and brush egg wash on folded corners of the pastry.
11. Bake about 20-25 minutes.