Croque Monsieur Pie Food

CROQUE-MONSIEUR

Steps:

• Use 2 tablespoons of the butter to spread over one side of each slice of bread. On three of the slices, spread a layer of Dijon mustard over the butter, and top each with 4 slices of ham. On the other three, spread mayonnaise, and top each one with 2 slices of Swiss cheese. Press ham and cheese sides of sandwiches together.
• In a flat bottomed dish, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, eggs, and water until blended. Set aside.
• Heat remaining butter and vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Dip both sides of each sandwich in the egg mixture, and fry in the oil and butter until browned, flipping to brown on each side.

CROQUE MONSIEUR

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan and add the flour all at once, stirring with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Slowly pour the hot milk into the butter-flour mixture and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thickened. Off the heat add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, 1/2 cup grated Gruyere, and the Parmesan and set aside.
• To toast the bread, place the slices on 2 baking sheets and bake for 5 minutes. Turn each slice and bake for another 2 minutes, until toasted.
• Lightly brush half the toasted breads with mustard, add a slice of ham to each, and sprinkle with half the remaining Gruyere. Top with another piece of toasted bread. Slather the tops with the cheese sauce, sprinkle with the remaining Gruyere, and bake the sandwiches for 5 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the topping is bubbly and lightly browned. Serve hot.

CROQUE MONSIEUR PIE

Steps:

• Grease a casserole dish and line with 6 slices of the bread. Top with half of the folded ham.
• Melt the butter in skillet over medium heat, add the flour and whisk 1 minute. Add 1 1/2 cups of the milk and some nutmeg, and then season with salt and pepper. Cook to thicken, the sauce should coat the back of a spoon. Stir in the mustard. Spoon half of the thickened bechamel evenly over the ham, top with the remaining 6 slices bread.
• Whisk up the eggs and the remaining 1/2 cup milk, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the eggs evenly over the casserole dish and then add the remaining ham and bechamel.
• Top with the gruyere, then cover and store for a make-ahead meal.
• When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and bake the casserole from room temperature until golden and firm, 30 to 35 minutes. Cut the casserole into squares and serve garnished with finely chopped parsley and mixed greens dressed with lemon juice and vinegar. Pass additional mustard at the table.

CROQUE MONSIEUR

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan and add the flour all at once, stirring with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Slowly pour the hot milk into the butter?flour mixture and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thickened. Off the heat add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, 1/2 cup grated Gruyere, and the Parmesan and set aside.
• To toast the bread, place the slices on 2 baking sheets and bake for 5 minutes. Turn each slice and bake for another 2 minutes, until toasted.
• Lightly brush half the toasted breads with mustard, add a slice of ham to each, and sprinkle with half the remaining Gruyere. Top with another piece of toasted bread. Slather the tops with the cheese sauce, sprinkle with the remaining Gruyere, and bake the sandwiches for 5 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the topping is bubbly and lightly browned. Serve hot.

CLASSIC CROQUE MONSIEUR

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450ºF.
• Mix mayo and mustard; spread onto 4 bread slices. Cover with cheese, ham and remaining bread slices.
• Place butter in 15x10x1-inch pan. Place in oven 1 to 2 min. or until butter is melted. Meanwhile, whisk eggs and milk in pie plate until well blended.
• Dip each sandwich in egg mixture, then place in buttered pan. Pour any remaining egg mixture over sandwiches.
• Bake 10 to 12 min. or until sandwiches are golden brown on both sides, turning after 5 min.

CROQUE MONSIEUR PUFFS

Steps:

• Adjust rack to the middle of an oven and preheat to 400 degrees.
• Combine water, milk, butter, salt, and ham in a heavy, medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
• All at once, add the flour and stir in quickly with a wooden spoon. Keep stirring-the mixture will come away form the sides of the pan and become thick and stiff. Keep stiring and turning over for about 1 minute (you want it to dry out a bit).
• Transfer the dough to an electric mixer, and turn mixer on medium-high speed. Add 1 egg and as soon as it is partially incorporated, increase mixer speed to high. Add the remaining eggs, one at a time when the previous egg is well incorporated. The mixture should be smooth. Mix in the cheese and chives.
• IF you have a strong arm, the dough can also be mixed by hand with a wooden spoon in a mixing bowl. Proceed as directed, and be sure to beat the dough until smooth before mxing in the cheese and chives. Let the mixture cool for about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, line baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with cooking spray. (Watch the puff bottomes closely to prevent over-browning if not using parchment.) By heaping teaspoonfuls, drop the mixture onto baking sheets in little balls, spaced apart. They shoud be the size of large marbles or jaw-breakers. (You can also pipe them out using a pastry bag.).
• Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden. Serve warm. You can bake these a few hours in advance and reheat in the oven as well!

QUICK CROQUE-MONSIEUR

Steps:

• Heat grill to High and toast the bread lightly on both sides. While the bread is toasting, combine all the other ingredients in a bowl. Press the cheesy mix onto the toast, then place under the grill for 3-4 mins until golden and bubbling. Cut into halves and serve.

THE PERFECT CROQUE MONSIEUR

Steps:

• First, make a perfect béchamel sauce. Put the milk, cream, garlic, bay leaves and onion in a small pan over a medium heat and stir together. Heat until nearly boiling, then turn the heat off and leave for 10 mins to infuse. Pass the liquid through a sieve and discard the bay and onion.
• Melt the butter with the flour in another pan and cook over a gentle heat until it smells biscuity. Gradually whisk in the warm milk and bring to a gentle boil, stirring regularly, then add the Dijon mustard, a little grating of fresh nutmeg and some seasoning. It should be a lovely thick creamy sauce with a deep flavour.
• Brush the slices of bread with melted butter. Place them on a baking tray and toast one side under a grill, buttered-side up, until golden. Take them out and heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7.
• Turn the bread over and spread each slice with a thin layer of Dijon, followed by a layer of the béchamel. Cover the sauce with grated gruyère, and then a slice of ham. Form the slices into two sandwiches, spread a thin layer of the sauce over the top slice and sprinkle more gruyère on top. Put the sandwiches in the oven and bake for 10-15 mins or until golden. Mix the mustard and mayo together and serve alongside.