Wednesdays Unplugged – Croque Monsieur Sandwiches

NOTE: I spend my Wednesdays Unplugged from appointments. It's my day to stay home, enjoy cooking and welcome our kids and grandkids for dinner in the evening. We end our meal with quotes from the Norwegian 'Quote Cup' passed on to me from my grandmother. I share a quote and a recipe here each week, and sometimes some photos of family fun. I love trying new recipes…and love getting recipes you would like to share!

We are in the midst of our birthday marathon, with three family birthdays in a row. We celebrated our daughter's birthday last week and she requested her usual Fettucine Alfredo with shrimp, wedge salad and Cheesecake Factory cheesecake for dessert. This week it was our daughter-in-law's birthday celebration, with Croque Monsieur sandwiches and Napoleons from Patrick's Bakery. My husband picked librarian quotes for her and by coincidence it turned out that the one she drew was this week's quote… from an author she knows personally!

 

RECIPE OF THE WEEK

This week's recipe is for the Croque Monsieur sandwiches we made at our daughter-in-law's request. I have made them before and shared the recipe from Ina Garten, but used a different recipe this time from Tastes Better from Scratch online.  Although it was still best eaten with a fork, it was less saucy than previous versions I have made. Everyone moaned over how wonderful they were as we were eating. The sandwiches were small but very filling, more about the cheese than the sauce. I think the deliciousness was helped by the bread which was also purchased at Patrick's and the ham which was not sandwich slices, but rather ham steaks which were sliced into pieces.

 

 

BECHAMEL SAUCE 

MAKE SAUCE

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.

 

ASSEMBLE SANDWICHES

Preheat over to 425 degrees F. Spread bread slices with a layer of bechamel, spreading it all the way to the edges. Place bechamel side up on a parchment-lined baking sheet/pan. Top half with ham, and a handful of Gruyere. Place remaining slices on top, then top with remaining Gruyere and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake for about 5-6 minutes, until cheese is melted. Then turn the oven to broil and broil until the cheese on top is golden, 2-4 minutes.