So, we bought two Croque Monsieur from a nearby coffee shop.
That sandwich was really delicious. I wanted to replicate that sandwich ever since.
But somehow, I never found the time to make a legitimate Croque Monsieur.
The other day, I was leafing through this new book by David Lebovitz called: "My Paris kitchen: recipes and stories " and all of a sudden, I came across the Croque Monsieur recipe. My friends, the time to make this French Yumminess had arrived.
To be honest, Croque Monsieur is just a fancy Grilled Ham and Cheese for the lack of better word. However, it is a very delicious Grilled ham and cheese and it has a Bechamel sauce on it as well.
The recipe from the book sounds pretty easy and it doesn't require that many ingredients. Just Dry-cured ham, Gruyere cheese, butter, flour, sliced bread and milk.
The first step is to make a Bechamel sauce to brush on the sliced breads before assembling the sandwich and broiling it.
Yesterday morning, I went to buy the three main ingredients. I went to Panera to pick up a fresh French loaf for $8. Then, I went to Safeway to buy the Gruyere cheese and the cured ham. I was shocked by the price of the Gruyere cheese. Two small pieces of Gruyere cheese was $18. The Cured ham was almost $9.
Heaven, this is going to be a pricey dinner.
It took me 5 minutes to make the Bechamel sauce. The remaining ingredients were easy to assemble.
I was a bit disappointed that neither my husband nor my daughter were overly impressed by my Croque Monsieur. I confess, I didn't follow the broiling steps religiously. I was a bit impatient I guess.
Anyway, I am not giving up yet. I am going to work on my techniques until I get it as delicious as the one that I ate in Paris.
Just wish me luck!
So how many of you out there love the Croque Monsieur as much as I do?
Signing off until next Monday- Panteha
