Grilled Ham And Blue Cheese Sandwich Croque Monsieur Food

CROQUE MONSIEUR (FRENCH HOT HAM AND CHEESE SANDWICH)

Steps:

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

GRILLED HAM AND BLUE CHEESE SANDWICH - CROQUE MONSIEUR

Steps:

• Toast bread slice, and butter if desired.
• Top with ham slices and cheese.
• Grill until cheese has melted.

SUE'S GRILLED HAM AND CHEESE (CROQUE MONSIEUR)

Steps:

• Spread bread with however much mustard you like.
• Top with cheese (thinly sliced or spread), and sliced ham.
• Spread outside of sandwich with soft butter.
• Heat small pan, griddle, or panini maker until it gets hot, then drop in sandwich and immediately turn heat to low.
• Shake pan to evenly distribute butter on bread as it melts.
• When bottom side is golden, flip sandwich, shimmy the pan, and remove sandwich from heat when golden.
• Slice if desired, and serve hot, with your favorite sides.

CROQUE-MADAME, SAUCE MORNAY (GRILLED HAM AND CHEESE SANDWICH WITH A FRIED EGG AND MORNAY SAUCE)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Lay out the bread slices. Divide the ham among them, making sure it doesn't extend over the edges of the bread. Place the cheese over the ham. If the cheese is larger than the bread, bend it over to fit.
• Heat 2 large ovenproof nonstick pans or griddles over medium heat. (If you have only 1 large pan, make 2 sandwiches and keep them warm in the oven while you make the second batch.) Add 1 tablespoon of the butter to each pan. When it has melted, add half the bread, cheese-side up to each pan and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown. Transfer the pans to the oven for 2 to 3 minutes to melt the cheese.
• Meanwhile, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in a large ovenproof skillet and fry the eggs. Cook the eggs until the bottoms are set, then place the skillet in the oven for a minute to set the top of the whites. (We cook the eggs in 4 to 5-inch individual skillets.)
• When the cheese is melted, remove the sandwiches from the oven. Place 2 slices together to make each sandwich and put each sandwich on a serving plate. Place an egg on top of each sandwich. Pour about 1/4 cup of the sauce over the white of each egg, leaving the yolk uncovered. Grind black pepper over each egg and garnish the eggs with a diagonal sprinkling of chopped parsley. Serve with frites, if desired.
• Combine the water and yeast in a small bowl. Let stand for 10 minutes, then stir until the yeast is completely dissolved. Set aside.
• Sift together the flours, sugar, and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the eggs and beat for 1 minute at low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Slowly add the dissolved yeast and continue beating at low speed for 5 minutes. Stop the machine, scrape any dough off the hook, and beat for another 5 minutes.
• Add about one-quarter of the butter cubes at a time, beating for about 1 minute after each addition. Once all the butter has been added, beat for 10 minutes more.
• Place the dough in a large floured bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place until doubled in size, about 3 hours.
• Turn the dough out onto a generously floured work surface and gently work the air bubbles out by folding the dough over several times while lightly pressing down on it.
• Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
• The dough is now ready to shape or use in another recipe. Generously butter two 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch loaf pans. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. With floured hands, divide the dough in half and shape it into two rectangles that fit in the loaf pans. Place the dough in the pans.
• Let the dough rise uncovered in a warm place until it is about 1/2-inch above the top of the pans, about 3 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bake the brioche in the center of the oven until it is well browned on top and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the brioche from the oven and immediately turn out onto a wire rack.
• If serving immediately, let the breads cool for 10 minutes, then slice. If serving within a few hours, wrap the hot bread in aluminum foil and set aside at room temperature until ready to use. To freeze, wrap the hot bread in foil and promptly freeze. The bread can be kept frozen for up to 1 month; when ready to use, reheat (without thawing and still wrapped in the foil) in a 250 degree F oven until heated through, 20 to 25 minutes.
• If using the brioche for croutons, let sit at room temperature uncovered to dry for a day.
• Melt the butter in a medium heavy saucepan set on a diffuser over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Sprinkle in the flour and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly so that the roux doesn't burn or color. Whisking constantly, add the milk and cream and whisk until fully incorporated. Bring to a simmer, whisking, then add the bay leaf, peppercorns, and cloves. Move the pan to 1 side of the diffuser, away from direct heat to avoid scorching, and bring back to a gentle simmer. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook, whisking occasionally, reaching into the corners of the pan, for about 30 minutes. (If the sauce does begin to scorch, pour it into a clean pan--don't scrape the bottom of the pan--and continue.)
• Remove the sauce from the heat and season to taste with salt, a grating of nutmeg, and a pinch of white pepper. Strain the sauce, add the cheese, and whisk to melt. Use immediately, or place in a storage container, press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface to keep a skin from forming, and refrigerate for up to a week. If the sauce is too thick after refrigeration, it can be thinned with a little heavy cream.

VEGETARIAN CROQUE MONSIEUR (GOURMET GRILLED CHEESE W/ TOFU HAM)

Steps:

• Lightly cook the ham (whether it's real or not) in a frying pan on low heat so the edges are nice and crispy and it can help melt the cheeses from the inside. Note that tofu "ham" has natural moisture so you don't have to use cooking spray like you would with real ham. It tastes good a little smoky but try not to burn it.
• Using a pastry or BBQ brush, brush one side of each slice with the melted butter. 1 tbsp should do it.
• Spread the mustard on the other sides of the bread: 2 tbsp was just a guess; spread the mustard as thin or thick as you'd like.
• Layer the ham and cheese on the bread however you'd like. Sometimes I like to just alternate the cheeses and put the ham in the center, other times I like to arrange it differently.
• Cook it on medium-low heat in the frying pan so all the cheeses melt but not too hot or else the bread will burn. Flip it every 30 seconds or so and use a little extra butter in the pan if you have to.
• Cook it until one side is totally done and the other side still hasn't completely browned yet.
• On the un-browned side, pour on the shredded cheese. Cook it face down on the frying pan on low heat until singed.
• Cut in half and serve with pomme frites or a nice endive salad and enjoy.

THE ULTIMATE CROQUE MONSIEUR - BAKED FRENCH BISTRO SANDWICH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 4oo degrees F.
• To Make Bechamel Soubise Sauce --.
• In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and sweat the garlic and onions over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring often.
• Add the flour all at once, whisking with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Stir in the hot cream and cook, whisking constantly, for 5 minutes or until sauce is thickened.
• Remove from heat and stir in the salt. pepper, nutmeg, Pastis, 1/4 cup grated Gruyere, fromage blanc, and the Parmesan; set aside.
• To toast the bread, place the slices on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes, turn and bake for another 3 minutes, until toasted.
• To Assemble the Sandwiches --.
• Brush Dijon mustard evenly on one side of half the toasted bread slices. Add a slice of ham to each, sprinkle with half the remaining Gruyere. Top with another slice of toasted bread. Slather the tops with the cheese sauce, and sprinkle with the remaining Gruyere.
• Bake for 5 minutes at 400 degrees F. Turn on the broiler and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, until cheese topping is nicely caramelized. (You want the outside to be crusty and golden brown, and the inside soft and pudding-like).
• Serve hot, garnished with a thyme sprig and a tart little Cornichon pickle on the side. Variation: For a "Croque Madame", serve with a fried or poached egg on top (the egg resembles a ladies hat).