Decadent Croque Monsieur Food

CROQUE MONSIEUR

Steps:

• Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes. Gradually add milk, stirring well until the mixture is smooth. Cook, stirring, until sauce is thickened.
• Season with a little bit of salt and pepper. Remove from heat and whisk in mustard and nutmeg. Set aside while you make the sandwiches, or make the sauce up to 1 week in advance.
• Preheat oven to 425° F. Line a baking tray with parchement paper and set aside.
• Spread each bread slice with a layer of béchamel, spreading it all the way to the edges. Place 4 slices of bread, béchamel side up, on prepared baking sheet.
• Top each with a piece of ham, a handful of gruyere, and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Place remaining slices of bread on top, béchamel side up, then top with remaining gruyere and parmesan cheese.
• Bake at 425 degrees F for about 5-6 minutes, until cheese is melted, and then turn the oven to broil and broil until the cheese on top is lightly golden, 2-4 minutes.

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

Steps:

• Make the bechamel. In a small saucepot, heat the milk over medium heat until warm to the touch; set aside. In a separate small saucepot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour, reduce the heat to low and cook, whisking continuously, until the raw flour taste has been cooked out, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the warm milk until smooth. Grate the nutmeg into the bechamel.
• Season the bechamel with salt and bring to a simmer, whisking continuously, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the Gruyere. Whisk the mixture until smooth and set aside.
• Assemble the sandwiches. Heat the broiler on high. Set the bread on a sheet pan and place 3 slices of the ham on each slice of bread. Spoon a thin layer of the bechamel on top of the ham. Divide the Gruyere evenly among the sandwiches and season with pepper. Broil until the cheese melts and turns golden brown, about 3 minutes.

CROQUE MONSIEUR (FRENCH HOT HAM AND CHEESE SANDWICH)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200°C/390°F (180°C fan).

DECADENT CROQUE MONSIEUR

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Whisk in flour until blended but not colored, about 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
• Assemble sandwiches: Place all 8 bread slices on a work surface in a single layer. Spread each slice evenly to the edges with Bechamel sauce; all the sauce may not be needed. Divide ham evenly between 4 of the bread slices, trimming if necessary so it is within 1/2 inch from the edges. Top all 8 slices with equal amounts of Gruyere cheese, spreading it evenly to within 1/4 inch of the edges.
• Lift the 4 bread slices with sauce and cheese and keeping the cheese facing up, place on top of the slices layered with ham. Transfer sandwiches to the prepared sheet pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cheese topping is melted and golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

RAMP CROQUE MONSIEUR

Steps:

• For the ramp béchamel: Bring the milk, cream and ramps to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Adjust the heat and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a liquid measuring cup and use an immersion blender to blend the mixture until fairly smooth.
• Return the pan to the stove and melt the butter over medium heat. Sprinkle the flour over the melted butter and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute. Add the warm ramp milk and stir constantly to incorporate, then continue to cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture comes to a simmer and thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and set aside.
• For the sandwiches: Preheat the broiler. Place a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Spread one side of each slice of bread with 1/2 tablespoon of mayonnaise and place mayo-side down in the hot skillet.
• Spread 1/2 tablespoon mustard on the other side of each piece of bread and layer 3 to 4 slices of ham and 1/2 cup of cheese onto each of 2 of the slices. Top with one of the other toasted pieces. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook until the cheese is melty, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
• Spoon béchamel generously over each sandwich, and top the sandwiches with the remaining cheese. Transfer the skillet to the oven and broil to toast the cheese and finish warming the sandwiches.
• Meanwhile, for the salad: Toss the lettuce leaves, oil and lemon juice together in a medium bowl to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the hot sandwiches immediately with salad on the side.