Petite Croque Monsieurs Recipes

MINI CROQUE MONSIEUR

Steps:

• Starting from the bottom of the loaf, slice bread horizontally into six 1/2-inch-thick rectangles (about 4-by-8 1/4-inches each); discard rounded top. Toast each bread slice in a toaster until pale gold.
• Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour. Gradually add milk, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil, continuing to whisk. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan. Let bechamel cool completely. Season with salt and pepper. Divide between 2 bowls.
• Spread half the bechamel from 1 bowl on 1 slice of bread. Top with 2 slices ham and 3 slices Gruyere. Top with 1 slice of bread, then spread remaining bechamel from bowl over top. Set sandwich aside. Repeat layering with ham and Gruyere, and top with 1 slice of bread. Repeat with remaining bowl of bechamel, bread slices, ham, and Gruyere. Wrap each sandwich in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Trim crusts from sandwiches. Cut each sandwich in half lengthwise, then crosswise 5 times to form 10 rectangles from each. Skewer each sandwich. Transfer to a baking sheet and warm in oven until cheese melts, 6 to 8 minutes. Serve immediately.

CROQUE MONSIEUR

Steps:

• Make the bechamel. In a small saucepot, heat the milk over medium heat until warm to the touch; set aside. In a separate small saucepot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour, reduce the heat to low and cook, whisking continuously, until the raw flour taste has been cooked out, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the warm milk until smooth. Grate the nutmeg into the bechamel.
• Season the bechamel with salt and bring to a simmer, whisking continuously, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the Gruyere. Whisk the mixture until smooth and set aside.
• Assemble the sandwiches. Heat the broiler on high. Set the bread on a sheet pan and place 3 slices of the ham on each slice of bread. Spoon a thin layer of the bechamel on top of the ham. Divide the Gruyere evenly among the sandwiches and season with pepper. Broil until the cheese melts and turns golden brown, about 3 minutes.

GOOEY CROQUE MONSIEUR SKILLET DIP

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Separate the triangles of dough and roll each piece into a crescent, starting at the wider end of the triangle. Set aside.
• Melt the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Spoon off 1 tablespoon butter into a small bowl; set aside.
• Add the onion and garlic to the skillet; cook, stirring, until softened and just beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add the flour all at once and stir with a wooden spoon to combine, about 2 minutes. Slowly pour in the hot milk in a steady stream, whisking constantly. Increase heat to medium-low and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Off the heat, whisk in the Parmesan, Dijon, salt, pepper, nutmeg and 1 cup of the Gruyere. Arrange the reserved crescents around the outer perimeter of the skillet, gently pressing down on each to nestle to the bottom. Brush the tops of the crescents with the reserved 1 tablespoon butter. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup Gruyere evenly over the top of the cheese dip and the crescents.
• Gather a piece of ham into a small bundle and tuck it into the cheese dip so it's flush with the surface. Repeat with the remaining pieces of ham, distributing them evenly over the surface of the dip.
• Bake until the rolls are golden brown and the dip is melted and browning in places, 15 to 17 minutes. Garnish with thyme leaves.

QUICK CROQUE MONSIEUR

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack in bottom third. Heat milk in a saucepan over medium heat until hot, about 5 minutes. Melt butter in another saucepan over medium heat; add flour, whisk to combine, and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons thyme, then gradually whisk in milk. Simmer bechamel 2 minutes, whisking. Remove from heat, and add 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
• Cut top crust off bread; slice loaf in half horizontally. Fill sandwich with mustard, ham, and half the Gruyere. Toast on a baking sheet until cheese is melted and top is golden brown.
• Remove from oven. Preheat broiler. Spread bechamel on top, and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Broil until golden brown and bubbling, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from oven; garnish with pepper and remaining thyme. Let sit 10 minutes before cutting.

PETIT CROQUE MONSIEUR

Steps:

• In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add chopped pears and cook, stirring, until just tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Sprinkle pears with sugar and continue cooking until golden brown and caramelized, 5 to 7 minutes more. Add vinegar and swirl pan until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and transfer pears to a plate; set aside.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Add pear slices, in batches if necessary, and cook until lightly browned, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Spread the remaining 2 tablespoons butter over one side of each slice of bread. Lay buttered-side down on work surface and spread opposite side generously with mustard. Slice bread in half diagonally. Top half of the diagonal slices with 1 slice of pear, 2 slices of ham, and 2 slices cheese; top with remaining diagonal slices.
• Heat a clean medium skillet over medium heat; working in batches, cook 5 to 6 sandwiches at a time, turning once, until cheese is melted and sandwiches are golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Cut each sandwich in half to make two dozen hors d'oeuvres, if desired. Garnish each sandwich with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon reserved chopped pear mixture; serve immediately.

TRIPLE-DECKER CROQUE MONSIEURS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• To make the sauce: Bring the milk, cream, onion, mustard seed, nutmeg, bay leaf, star anise, and cloves to a simmer in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, taking care that the mixture does not boil over. Reduce the heat to low and heat to steep without reducing the liquid, about 10 minutes. Strain the mixture through a wire sieve into a bowl. Press hard on the solids, then discard them. Wash the saucepan.
• Melt the butter in the saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and let bubble without browning for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the hot milk mixture and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, whisking often, until no raw flour taste remains, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the Dijon mustard. Season to taste with salt. Transfer the sauce to a medium bowl, cover with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface, and let cool completely. (The sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 day.)
• To make four triple-decker sandwiches: For each sandwich, spread a bread slice with about 1 tablespoon of the warm sauce, followed by 2 tablespoons of shredded Gruyere, 2 slices of ham, and 1 slice of Muenster. Repeat with a second bread slice, sauce, Gruyere, ham, and Muenster. Top with a third slice of bread. Cover the remaining sauce with the saucepan lid and set aside. (The sandwiches can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature, with the sauce, for up to 2 hours.)
• Spread the butter on the outermost slices of bread of each sandwich.
• Heat a griddle over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Place the sandwiches onto the griddle. Cook, adjusting the heat as needed so the sandwiches don't brown too quickly but the bread has time to toast, until the undersides are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Flip them over to brown the other sides and heat the sandwiches through, about 5 minutes more. Transfer the sandwiches to a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the cheese melts, about 5 minutes.
• Cut each sandwich into quarters with a sharp, serrated knife to avoid pressing the sandwich. Serve warm with any remaining sauce.

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

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:

• In a medium bowl, mix the grated cheese, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and horseradish. Place a liberal layer of the cheese on 1 side of each of the 6 slices of bread. Place the ham and tomato slices on 3 of the pieces of the cheese topped bread, then top them with the remaining 3 slices of bread to form a sandwich. Place butter in a large saute pan over low to medium heat. Add the sandwiches to the melted butter and slowly brown them on both sides while allowing the cheese to melt inside. Cut the crusts from the sandwiches and then cut them crosswise into 8 hors d'oeuvre size portions. Serve warm.