Croque Monsieur Strata Recipes

CROQUE MONSIEUR STRATA

Steps:

• Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Place bread cubes in baking dish. Sprinkle with ham and 1 cup of the cheese.
• In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic in butter 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in flour, salt, black pepper and red pepper. Cook and stir until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat; stir in thyme and mustard.
• In medium bowl, beat eggs well. Stir small amount of hot mixture into eggs, then stir egg mixture back into hot mixture. Cook over low heat about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until thickened. Pour over ham and cheese in baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese. Cover with foil; refrigerate at least 4 hours but no longer than 24 hours.
• Heat oven to 350°F. Uncover baking dish. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until puffed and knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Cut into squares. Garnish with chives.

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:

• 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 BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees and generously butter a 9-by-13-inch (or 1 1/2- to 2-quart) baking pan. Butter the slices of bread on one side and spread a thin layer of mustard on the other side. Arrange, shingled, over the bottom of the pan, buttered side up; you may not need all the bread. Drape evenly with ham.
• Whisk together milk, half-and-half, egg, egg yolks and pepper. Pour evenly over the bread and ham. Sprinkle with Gruyère and Parmesan cheeses, allowing the ham to peek out in places. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes (for the bread to sop up the milk) or up to overnight. Bake until the custard is set, and the bread and cheese are golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and allow to set 20 minutes before scattering evenly with parsley. Scoop and serve warm or at room temperature, with mustard and cornichons.