Croque Monsieur With Greens Recipes

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 (FRENCH HOT HAM AND CHEESE SANDWICH)

Steps:

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

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.

BUVETTE'S CROQUE MONSIEUR

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Make the bechamel: Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high, and slowly add hot milk. Cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and add salt, pepper, nutmeg, and 1/2 cup Gruyere.
• Lightly brush 4 slices bread with mustard. Add 1 slice baked ham to each, and sprinkle each with 2 tablespoons Gruyere. Top with 4 more slices toasted bread. Slather tops with bechamel, and sprinkle with remaining Gruyere and 1/4 teaspoon herbes de Provence.
• Bake sandwiches until topping is lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Serve hot with cornichons.

CROQUE MONSIEUR WITH GREENS

Steps:

• Heat a heavy nonstick pan or a griddle over medium-low to medium heat.
• Heat a small sauce pot over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter and melt. Whisk the flour into the butter and cook for 1 minute, then whisk in the half-and-half. Season with 1 teaspoon of the Dijon mustard, the nutmeg, salt, and pepper and cook for 2 minutes to thicken. Remove from the heat. Spread the bread slices with the sauce and make sandwiches, using a couple of folded slices of ham per sandwich.
• Spread the remaining 2 tablespoons of softened butter lightly across the outside faces of each sandwich. Spread the shredded cheese across a plate and gently press each side of the sandwiches into the cheese, then place on the hot pan or griddle. The cheese will brown and form a crisp coating as the sandwich cooks and heats through. Cook for 3 minutes on each side, or until evenly golden.
• In a salad bowl, whisk together the remaining teaspoon of mustard, the vinegar, apricot jam, and tarragon. Whisk in the EVOO in a slow stream. Add the greens to the bowl and toss to dress. Season the salad with salt and pepper and serve on large plates with the hot sandwiches alongside.