Recipe #3 - Croque Monsieur
Hi everyone,
Now that the festivities are over, many would have returned to their normal routines. The post Christmas crash can be hard to deal with so I decided to make a comfort food. The Croque Monsieur is basically a fancy grilled sandwich. It may take a bit longer to make compared to its mainstream cousin. However, the final result can be a lot richer and tastier. It goes down well on a cold winter's day but beware, they will add inches to your waist if you overindulge in them.
Begin by making the bechamel sauce. This is probably the first sauce you learn in chef school as it is very simple. It only requires three ingredients: milk, butter and flour. You can infuse the milk with a variety of different ingredients; I prefer to use bay leaf, nutmeg and onion. Once you have completed the bechamel you can begin to assemble the Croque Monsieur. Before assembling, toast the bread slightly to make it more stable and be generous with the bechamel and gruyere cheese. It is important to use good quality ingredients here; it may cost more but it's worthwhile. Once assembled place in the oven until you reach your desired consistency, usually between 10-15 minutes. Today I felt experimental and decided to use mozzarella for one of the sandwiches. This also worked well as you could clearly taste the different cheeses and added an interesting texture to the sandwich. For the ham I decided to use a German Brunswick ham, it packs a punch and goes well with the rich flavours. The type of bread to use for a Croque Monsieur is debatable. As a nutritionist it pains me to say that white bread definitely tastes better in this recipe. I prefer thicker slices of bread but others prefer thinner slices. Be creative and make it to your taste. Just remember, these sandwiches are a calorific treat, be sure to treat them that way.
Recipe
4 or 6 slices of bread; depends on the thickness
100g of ham
300g of gruyere cheese
Mixed Herbs
Bechamel:
300ml milk
20g butter
20g flour
1/4 onion
1/2tbsp Ground Nutmeg
1 Bay Leaf
Salt and Pepper
1) Start by making the bechamel sauce. Bring the milk to the boil and add nutmeg, onion and bay leaf. Turn off the heat and wait for the milk to cool down. Strain the milk and leave it to one side.
2) Melt the butter in a saucepan. Once melted, add the flour and slowly add the infused milk away from the hob. Once you have dissolved half the milk return the saucepan to the hob. Use a wooden spoon to dissolve the mixture until there are no bumps left. Season to taste. After you reach the desired consistency put to one side.
3) Slice and slightly toast a loaf of bread. Once slightly toasted begin to assemble the Croque Monsieur. Start with a layer of bechamel, gruyere and ham. Place some more bechamel and add a slice of bread on top. Add bechamel and finish with gruyere on top. If you wanted to add another layer repeat the first step.
4) Place in the oven until cheese is melted. Sprinkle mixed herbs on top of the melted gruyere. Enjoy!
Now that the festivities are over, many would have returned to their normal routines. The post Christmas crash can be hard to deal with so I decided to make a comfort food. The Croque Monsieur is basically a fancy grilled sandwich. It may take a bit longer to make compared to its mainstream cousin. However, the final result can be a lot richer and tastier. It goes down well on a cold winter's day but beware, they will add inches to your waist if you overindulge in them.
Begin by making the bechamel sauce. This is probably the first sauce you learn in chef school as it is very simple. It only requires three ingredients: milk, butter and flour. You can infuse the milk with a variety of different ingredients; I prefer to use bay leaf, nutmeg and onion. Once you have completed the bechamel you can begin to assemble the Croque Monsieur. Before assembling, toast the bread slightly to make it more stable and be generous with the bechamel and gruyere cheese. It is important to use good quality ingredients here; it may cost more but it's worthwhile. Once assembled place in the oven until you reach your desired consistency, usually between 10-15 minutes. Today I felt experimental and decided to use mozzarella for one of the sandwiches. This also worked well as you could clearly taste the different cheeses and added an interesting texture to the sandwich. For the ham I decided to use a German Brunswick ham, it packs a punch and goes well with the rich flavours. The type of bread to use for a Croque Monsieur is debatable. As a nutritionist it pains me to say that white bread definitely tastes better in this recipe. I prefer thicker slices of bread but others prefer thinner slices. Be creative and make it to your taste. Just remember, these sandwiches are a calorific treat, be sure to treat them that way.
Recipe
4 or 6 slices of bread; depends on the thickness
100g of ham
300g of gruyere cheese
Mixed Herbs
Bechamel:
300ml milk
20g butter
20g flour
1/4 onion
1/2tbsp Ground Nutmeg
1 Bay Leaf
Salt and Pepper
1) Start by making the bechamel sauce. Bring the milk to the boil and add nutmeg, onion and bay leaf. Turn off the heat and wait for the milk to cool down. Strain the milk and leave it to one side.
2) Melt the butter in a saucepan. Once melted, add the flour and slowly add the infused milk away from the hob. Once you have dissolved half the milk return the saucepan to the hob. Use a wooden spoon to dissolve the mixture until there are no bumps left. Season to taste. After you reach the desired consistency put to one side.
3) Slice and slightly toast a loaf of bread. Once slightly toasted begin to assemble the Croque Monsieur. Start with a layer of bechamel, gruyere and ham. Place some more bechamel and add a slice of bread on top. Add bechamel and finish with gruyere on top. If you wanted to add another layer repeat the first step.
4) Place in the oven until cheese is melted. Sprinkle mixed herbs on top of the melted gruyere. Enjoy!
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