Okay, do you remember this post? Well, I made the Croque Monsieur. If you want your husband or other guests to say "oh, this is really good" more than twice in one seating, make this meal. It is DELISH!
Of course the original recipe is high in calories, but what finger licking dish isn't? I tried cutting as many calories without taking away the flavor. I think my hubby confirmed that I got it just right. LOL! I will post my recipe (what I did) and then post the original recipe. Don't let the name or origin frighten you from making this dish. It is fantastic and simple.
Bechamel Sauce
1 1/2 cup 1% milk
2 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour
2 Tbsp Smart Balance Butter
1 pinch of each sea salt, ground pepper and ground nutmeg
1/4 Grated Light Parmesan Cheese
1/4 Shredded Gruyere Cheese
In a small sauce pan, heat the butter on medium-low heat until just bubbly. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Slowly, add milk. Stir constantly with whisk until milk gets thick. (Remember milk will burn, so be careful). You may have to add a couple pinches of flour to get the milk to thicken up. Remove from heat. Stir in salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add parmesan and Gruyere cheeses and stir until well melted. Set aside.
Ham and Cheese Sandwich (assemble and cook)
4 Thinly Sliced Italian Bread
4 Tomato slices
1/2 cup Gruyere Cheese
8 Thinly Sliced Virginia Ham Deli Meat
Dijon Mustard
Spread a little butter on one side of the bread. With butter side down, place all 4 slices in your cast iron grill skillet on the stove top and cook until it is lightly brown. Remove from heat and assemble your sandwich.
Spread a little mustard on each slice of bread. 4 slices of ham per sandwich, 2 slices of tomatoes and sprinkle a little cheese. Place the second slice of bread on top (grilled side up). Carefully place the sandwich back in the cast iron grill skillet. Spoon a little Bechamel Sauce onto of the sandwich and sprinkle with Gruyere cheese.
When both sandwiches are ready in the skillet, place in the oven at 400 degrees for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is nice and melted.
You will have Bechamel sauce left over. I just put it in a plastic container and plan on using it the next time.
Makes 2 sandwiches
Great to serve with a side salad.
Croque Monsieur Ham and Cheese Sandwich Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- A pinch each of salt, freshly ground pepper, nutmeg, or more to taste
- 6 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (about 1 1/2 cups grated)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (packed)
- 8 slices of French or Italian loaf bread
- 12 ounces ham, sliced
- Dijon mustard
METHOD
1 Preheat oven to 400°F.
2 Make the béchamel sauce. Melt butter in a small saucepan on medium/low heat until it just starts to bubble. Add the flour and cook, stirring until smooth, about 2 minutes. Slowly add the milk, whisking continuously, cooking until thick. Remove from heat. Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir in the Parmesan and 1/4 cup of the grated Gruyère. Set aside.
3 Lay out the bread slices on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven, a few minutes each side, until lightly toasted. For extra flavor you can spread some butter on the bread slices before you toast them if you want.
(Alternatively, you can assemble the sandwiches as follows in step four and grill them on a skillet, finishing them in the broiler with the bechamel sauce.)
4 Lightly brush half of the toasted slices with mustard. Add the ham slices and about 1 cup of the remaining Gruyère cheese. Top with the other toasted bread slices.
5 Spoon on the béchamel sauce to the tops of the sandwiches. Sprinkle with the remaining Gruyère cheese. Place on a broiling pan. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes, then turn on the broiler and broil for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, until the cheese topping is bubbly and lightly browned.
If you top this sandwich with a fried egg it becomes a Croque Madame.
Makes 4 sandwiches.
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