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Bonjour, monsieur It felt appropriate to share with you a cheesy, French food after reviewing two Eiffel Tower shaped cheese graters. It had been a long time since I had enjoyed a Croque Monsieur, but now after practically licking my plate clean after this one I don’t think I’ll wait so long until I make them again. I first turned to Ina Garten’s recipe when looking for a guide. After reviewing it I continued to look for others and found a surprise. Quite a few blogs claim this recipe to be their own, even though the ingredients, methods and wording are exactly the same. Makes 8 sandwiches. Croque Monsieur Ingredients: 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 cups milk 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Pinch of nutmeg 12 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (5 cups) 1/2cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 16 slices white sandwich bread  Dijon mustard 8 ounces baked Virginia ham, sliced but not paper thin Directions: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan and add the flour all at once, stirring for 2 minutes. Add the milk and whisk it constantly until the sauce is thickened. Off the heat add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, ½ cup grated Gruyère, and the Parmesan and set aside. To toast the bread, place the slices on two 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 Gruyère. Top with another piece of toasted bread. Slather the tops with the cheese sauce, sprinkle with the remaining Gruyère, 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.

Bonjour, monsieur

It felt appropriate to share with you a cheesy, French food after reviewing two Eiffel Tower shaped cheese graters. It had been a long time since I had enjoyed a Croque Monsieur, but now after practically licking my plate clean after this one I don’t think I’ll wait so long until I make them again.

I first turned to Ina Garten’s recipe when looking for a guide. After reviewing it I continued to look for others and found a surprise. Quite a few blogs claim this recipe to be their own, even though the ingredients, methods and wording are exactly the same. Makes 8 sandwiches.

Croque Monsieur

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Pinch of nutmeg
  • 12 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (5 cups)
  • 1/2cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 16 slices white sandwich bread 
  • Dijon mustard
  • 8 ounces baked Virginia ham, sliced but not paper thin

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan and add the flour all at once, stirring for 2 minutes. Add the milk and whisk it constantly until the sauce is thickened. Off the heat add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, ½ cup grated Gruyère, and the Parmesan and set aside.

To toast the bread, place the slices on two 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 Gruyère. Top with another piece of toasted bread. Slather the tops with the cheese sauce, sprinkle with the remaining Gruyère, 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.

Blue ribbon cooking at home This fairly labor-intensive dish is worth every minute. The combination of flavors is delicious and the creamy, crispy textures are sublime. I recommend that if you make it, go the extra mile and use prosciutto and gruyere cheese (rather than regular ham and Swiss). I did some digging to find what I thought was the best recipe. I settled on this one because the ingredients and the techniques sounded good. My judgment was sound. Enjoy fine cuisine at home with chicken cordon bleu, without paying $30 per plate. The French term Cordon Bleu is translated as “Blue Ribbon”. Adapted from a recipe by Tyler Florence of the Food Network. Ingredients: 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 8 thin slices prosciutto 1/2 pound Gruyere cheese, grated 1/4 cup all-purpose flour Kosher salt Freshly ground pepper 1 cup panko bread crumbs 4 springs fresh thyme, leaves only 1 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 2 eggs, lightly beaten Extra virgin olive oil Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. One at a time, lay chickens breast between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Using a rolling pin or the flat side of a meat mallet, gently pound the chicken to 1/4-inch thickness. Remove the top sheet of plastic and lay 2 slices of prosciutto neatly over the top to cover the breast and sprinkle a quarter of the cheese over the prosciutto. Tuck in the sides of the breast and roll up tight like a jellyroll, keeping the plastic wrap on the exterior. Squeeze the log gently to seal and twist both ends of plastic wrap to form a nice, tight log. Repeat with remaining chicken. I did this earlier in the day and refrigerated chicken until ready to cook. On a plate, season the flour with salt and pepper. Lightly season the eggs with salt and pepper and pour onto a second plate. Mix the bread crumbs with thyme, garlic and kosher salt, pepper, and melted butter and put on a third plate. Remove the plastic wrap from chicken. Lightly dust the chicken with flour, roll in the egg mixture and gently coat in the bread crumbs. Lightly coat a baking pan with olive oil and carefully transfer the roulades onto it. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until browned and cooked through. Cut into pinwheels and serve 

Blue ribbon cooking at home

This fairly labor-intensive dish is worth every minute. The combination of flavors is delicious and the creamy, crispy textures are sublime. I recommend that if you make it, go the extra mile and use prosciutto and gruyere cheese (rather than regular ham and Swiss).

I did some digging to find what I thought was the best recipe. I settled on this one because the ingredients and the techniques sounded good. My judgment was sound. Enjoy fine cuisine at home with chicken cordon bleu, without paying $30 per plate.

The French term Cordon Bleu is translated as “Blue Ribbon”. Adapted from a recipe by Tyler Florence of the Food Network.

Ingredients:

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 8 thin slices prosciutto
  • 1/2 pound Gruyere cheese, grated
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 4 springs fresh thyme, leaves only
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • Extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

One at a time, lay chickens breast between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Using a rolling pin or the flat side of a meat mallet, gently pound the chicken to 1/4-inch thickness. Remove the top sheet of plastic and lay 2 slices of prosciutto neatly over the top to cover the breast and sprinkle a quarter of the cheese over the prosciutto. Tuck in the sides of the breast and roll up tight like a jellyroll, keeping the plastic wrap on the exterior. Squeeze the log gently to seal and twist both ends of plastic wrap to form a nice, tight log. Repeat with remaining chicken. I did this earlier in the day and refrigerated chicken until ready to cook.

On a plate, season the flour with salt and pepper. Lightly season the eggs with salt and pepper and pour onto a second plate. Mix the bread crumbs with thyme, garlic and kosher salt, pepper, and melted butter and put on a third plate.

Remove the plastic wrap from chicken. Lightly dust the chicken with flour, roll in the egg mixture and gently coat in the bread crumbs. Lightly coat a baking pan with olive oil and carefully transfer the roulades onto it. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until browned and cooked through. Cut into pinwheels and serve