**Culinary Elegance: Croque Monsieur Puffs - A Symphony of Flavors and Textures**
Prepare to embark on a culinary journey with the delectable Croque Monsieur Puffs, a harmonious blend of classic French flavors and modern culinary artistry. These exquisite pastries elevate the traditional croque monsieur sandwich, transforming it into an assortment of bite-sized delights. Each puff is a masterpiece, featuring a flaky puff pastry base, a velvety béchamel sauce, and a medley of savory fillings, all culminating in a symphony of flavors and textures that will tantalize your taste buds. Indulge in the classic ham and cheese variation, or explore the culinary possibilities with variations such as the Croque Madame Puffs, adorned with a sunny-side-up egg, or the vegetarian-friendly Croque Monsieur Puffs, bursting with roasted vegetables. These Croque Monsieur Puffs are not just a meal; they are an experience, perfect for brunches, light lunches, or elegant tea parties. With their sophisticated presentation and irresistible taste, they are sure to impress your guests and leave them craving for more.
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
Croque Monsieur is a delicious French ham and cheese sandwich, made with gruyere, parmesan, ham and a simple béchamel sauce, toasted in the oven.
Provided by Lauren Allen
Categories Main Course
Time 30m
Number Of Ingredients 10
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.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 658 kcal, Carbohydrate 13 g, Protein 25 g, Fat 34 g, SaturatedFat 19 g, Cholesterol 104 mg, Sodium 657 mg, Sugar 5 g, ServingSize 1 serving
CROQUE MONSIEUR
"This is my all-time favorite sandwich-it reminds me of growing up in France."
Provided by Marc Murphy
Time 25m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 10
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.
CROQUE MONSIEUR PUFFS
My latest crush is this new incarnation of gourgeres, or cheese puffs. These were inspired by the classic French ham-and-cheese sandwich, Croque Monsieur. If you're serving only one thing with cocktails before dinner, it would have to be these heavenly puffs. They're perfect for "popping" in between sips of a Pear Thyme Fizz or Peach 75. ** Make sure you use an exciting gruyere cheese or possibly with cheddar jack for a little kick.
Provided by College Girl
Categories Lunch/Snacks
Time 35m
Yield 50 puffs, 25 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Adjust rack to the middle of an oven and preheat to 400 degrees.
- Combine water, milk, butter, salt, and ham in a heavy, medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- All at once, add the flour and stir in quickly with a wooden spoon. Keep stirring-the mixture will come away form the sides of the pan and become thick and stiff. Keep stiring and turning over for about 1 minute (you want it to dry out a bit).
- Transfer the dough to an electric mixer, and turn mixer on medium-high speed. Add 1 egg and as soon as it is partially incorporated, increase mixer speed to high. Add the remaining eggs, one at a time when the previous egg is well incorporated. The mixture should be smooth. Mix in the cheese and chives.
- IF you have a strong arm, the dough can also be mixed by hand with a wooden spoon in a mixing bowl. Proceed as directed, and be sure to beat the dough until smooth before mxing in the cheese and chives. Let the mixture cool for about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, line baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with cooking spray. (Watch the puff bottomes closely to prevent over-browning if not using parchment.) By heaping teaspoonfuls, drop the mixture onto baking sheets in little balls, spaced apart. They shoud be the size of large marbles or jaw-breakers. (You can also pipe them out using a pastry bag.).
- Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden. Serve warm. You can bake these a few hours in advance and reheat in the oven as well!
Nutrition Facts : Calories 74.9, Fat 5, SaturatedFat 2.8, Cholesterol 46.7, Sodium 132.8, Carbohydrate 4.1, Fiber 0.1, Sugar 0.3, Protein 3.3
CROQUE-MONSIEUR BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
This French classic needs little introduction, but if you haven't had it in baked form, you're in for a treat. Think upscale ham sandwiches drenched in egg custard and cheese, melted to a deep golden-brown. There are no tricks here, save for the addition of two extra yolks for maximum French-toast tenderness. Serve it warm, or at room temperature - a fitting breakfast feast that's welcome any time of the day.
Provided by Sarah Copeland
Categories breakfast, brunch, easy, casseroles, main course
Time 1h
Yield 6 to 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Heat oven to 325 degrees and generously butter a 9-by-13-inch (or 1 1/2- to 2-quart) baking pan. Butter the slices of bread on one side and spread a thin layer of mustard on the other side. Arrange, shingled, over the bottom of the pan, buttered side up; you may not need all the bread. Drape evenly with ham.
- Whisk together milk, half-and-half, egg, egg yolks and pepper. Pour evenly over the bread and ham. Sprinkle with Gruyère and Parmesan cheeses, allowing the ham to peek out in places. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes (for the bread to sop up the milk) or up to overnight. Bake until the custard is set, and the bread and cheese are golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to set 20 minutes before scattering evenly with parsley. Scoop and serve warm or at room temperature, with mustard and cornichons.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 400, UnsaturatedFat 9 grams, Carbohydrate 26 grams, Fat 24 grams, Fiber 2 grams, Protein 20 grams, SaturatedFat 13 grams, Sodium 761 milligrams, Sugar 6 grams, TransFat 0 grams
THE PERFECT CROQUE MONSIEUR
Master the croque monsieur with soft sourdough, gruyère, smoked ham and creamy mustard mayo. You'll relish every mouthful of this brunch classic.
Provided by Emma Freud
Categories Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Snack, Treat
Time 50m
Number Of Ingredients 16
Steps:
- First, make a perfect béchamel sauce. Put the milk, cream, garlic, bay leaves and onion in a small pan over a medium heat and stir together. Heat until nearly boiling, then turn the heat off and leave for 10 mins to infuse. Pass the liquid through a sieve and discard the bay and onion.
- Melt the butter with the flour in another pan and cook over a gentle heat until it smells biscuity. Gradually whisk in the warm milk and bring to a gentle boil, stirring regularly, then add the Dijon mustard, a little grating of fresh nutmeg and some seasoning. It should be a lovely thick creamy sauce with a deep flavour.
- Brush the slices of bread with melted butter. Place them on a baking tray and toast one side under a grill, buttered-side up, until golden. Take them out and heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7.
- Turn the bread over and spread each slice with a thin layer of Dijon, followed by a layer of the béchamel. Cover the sauce with grated gruyère, and then a slice of ham. Form the slices into two sandwiches, spread a thin layer of the sauce over the top slice and sprinkle more gruyère on top. Put the sandwiches in the oven and bake for 10-15 mins or until golden. Mix the mustard and mayo together and serve alongside.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 876 calories, Fat 62 grams fat, SaturatedFat 31 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 46 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 6 grams sugar, Fiber 2 grams fiber, Protein 31 grams protein, Sodium 3.7 milligram of sodium
CROQUE-MONSIEUR
While French restaurant and country cooking have been thoroughly examined by American home cooks, somewhere between the two styles lies a branch of cuisine that has been almost entirely missed: France's bar and cafe food. This is the realm of snacks like tartines and rillettes, salads and savory tarts, and one of most delicious of all: the croque-monsieur (literally translated as "crunch sir.") Good croque-monsieurs have a few things in common: a single layer of French ham and Gruyere pressed between two thin slices of bread. Some, like this one, are filled and topped with béchamel, which makes the whole thing creamier and better. The bread is brushed with butter, and the sandwich is cooked on a griddle or toasted under a broiler so that the cheese almost liquefies and the bits of ham and cheese hanging out the side fall limp and caramelize. It should be rich, substantial and salty, so you will reach for a glass of wine or beer between bites.
Provided by Amanda Hesser
Categories dinner, lunch, quick, sandwiches, main course
Time 20m
Yield 2 sandwiches
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Preheat a two-sided electric griddle on medium-high to high for about 20 minutes, or preheat the oven to 300 degrees and preheat a cast-iron skillet on top of the stove for about 5 minutes. Prepare a bechamel sauce: in a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter. When bubbles have subsided, add flour and whisk vigorously for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk until smooth. Bring to a boil, and cook until thick. Remove from heat, and season to taste with salt and nutmeg.
- Spread two slices of bread generously with sauce. Lay two slices of ham on top of each, and top each with a slice of cheese; ham and cheese should slightly overlap edges of bread. Top each with a slice of bread.
- In a small saucepan, melt remaining the 4 tablespoons butter. Brush the sandwiches on both sides with butter, making sure that the edges are well covered. If you're using a griddle, place cheese side down, close the griddle and cook until the bread is toasted dark and cheese is leaking out and bubbling. If you're using a skillet, place sandwiches cheese side down and cook on stove top until well browned, then turn and brown again. Transfer skillet to oven, and bake until heated through and cheese is bubbling. Serve hot.
Tips:
- Use high-quality bread for the best flavor and texture.
- If you don't have a waffle maker, you can use a regular panini press or even a frying pan.
- Feel free to experiment with different fillings, such as ham and gruyère cheese, or turkey and cranberry sauce.
- Serve the croque monsieur puffs immediately, while they're still hot and crispy.
Conclusion:
Croque monsieur puffs are a delicious and easy-to-make snack or meal. They're perfect for a quick breakfast, lunch, or dinner. And because they're so versatile, you can customize them to your own taste. So next time you're looking for a fun and flavorful recipe, give croque monsieur puffs a try.
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