Old Hippie Chef: Crogue Monsieur

This weekly blog is going to be a short one. This week is extremely tight. I have to paint the west side, also the hot side, of our house for my summer vacation. Being a grown-up sucks.

I decided to do a blog on the sandwich crogue monsieur for several different reasons. First and foremost it's in the top ten sandwiches of all time in you ask me, and since it's my blog I can declare that it is. Secondly, I just made mac and cheese again for our national night out bloc party tonight, and reserved some the m & c sauce so I can make a couple of crogue monsieurs. Thirdly, I just did the mac and cheese blog two weeks ago, and coming to the idiotic realization that all I needed to do to fix my crappy mac and cheese was to grate my cheese (not cut the cheese), and to make a morney sauce and hey, why not check out some recipes while you'e at it there Geroges Escoffier. Fourth, when we were in Paris this spring I had two crogue monsieurs sandwiches at two different establishments, and I was sorely disappointed both times. Fifth, and lastly, overall I've been unhappy here in the Bay Area, the foodie capital of America, with the crogue monsieurs I have ordered.

So, what the f__k is a crougue monsieur, (and if you do, you'll clean it up), one might ask? Crouge in French means crunch. Monsieur means mister. So, it's Mr. Crunch which I think it's a good name for a punk band. They could throw toasted cheese sandwiches at the audience. The crouque monsieur is the original toasted cheese sandwich. I make mine with jambon, or as we say here in America, ham. You put ham and cheese together and you cannot go wrong, well.

Here it is complete with photos. If it does not crunch, you did something wrong. Making a great crougue monsieur is a matter of heat, or temperature control, and timing. If it's undercooked the bread is soggy. You can just as easily overcook it, burn it, and it will taste like charcoal. If you cook it just right it's crunchy on both sides of the bread, and on the inside, the cheese is melted, and the ham is warm.

Of course mine always come out perfect. So does my mac and cheese now, I"m very happy to say.

Have a beautiful week.

Peace.......Make Food, Not War

Croque Monsieur With Jambon (Mr. Crunch)

1 1/2 cups half and half
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
pinch nutmeg
pinch cayenne
big twist fresh crushed black pepper
pinch white pepper
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 pound Swiss ementhaler cheese grated
1/4 pound smoked Gouda cheese grated
1/4 pound sharp Irish cheddar cheese grated
3 tablespoons Pecornio Romano cheese
2 ounces boiled French or Italian ham
fresh center cut sweet Batard loaf cut on the bias 3/4 inch thick
Good French Djon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1) Grate the Gouda, Irish cheddar and Ementhaler cheeses, and put aside.

2) In a small sauce pan on medium heat melt the butter, and flour, cayenne, black pepper, white pepper, mustard powder, and nutmeg and stir to you have a blonde roux, about a minute.

3) Whisk in the milk slowly. Be careful not to burn or scald, but bring to a light boil, and cut the heat. Add 1/3 the grated Swiss, 1/3 the grated cheddar, and 1/3 the grated Gouda cheese and all the Pecorino Romano cheese. Stir till you have a nice smooth mornay sauce, no lumps, and let cool to room temperature.

4) I a large non stick skillet with medium heat place the two slices of sweet batard bread slices down with a weight on them, and toast till golden brown and crunchy, both sides.

5) Brush both sides of the inside pieces of bread with Dijon mustard, and place 1/3 cheddar and 1/3 Gouda and 1/33 the Ementhaler, equally on both sides, and the 2 ounce of boiled ham in the middle.

6) With the snadwich in one hand and a soup spoon in the other lather on some mornay sauce, eonough to cover the bread equally and add the three cheese and flip it into the hot skillet.

7) While the first side is cooking, later the other side, and add the remaining cheese. Don't let the cheese burn. When it's nice and crusty, do the flip, and cook the second side for another minute or so.

See the photos for more details.

Note: Mornay sauce will last in the fridge for 4 or 5 days covered with plastic wrap. Put it in a double boiler to reheat it.

You're done. Cut it and eat it. Serve with thin julienne cut French fries and a cold Ale, IPA, or a dry white wine.

NATIONAL NIGHT OUT PHOTOS