PrintCook the Book: Neo-Classic Croque Monsieur
The Panini Express Neo-Classic Croque Monsieur recipe makes two hot, crisp ham-and-cheese sandwiches.
The first recipe out of the gate for this week's featured cookbook is what Panini Express authors Daniel Leader and Lauren Chattman call a Neo-Classic Croque Monsieur. It's "neo-classic" because, Leader says, it's a bit more rustic than the "dainty" versions typically served in France; it uses thick-cut ham, along with chopped cornichons and grainy mustard to "give it some heft."
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Neo-Classic Croque Monsieur
- makes 2 sandwiches -
Adapted from Panini Express by Daniel Leader and Lauren Chattman.
Ingredients
4 half-inch-thick slices country hearth bread or 2 six-inch lengths baguette
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
3 ounces Emmentaler cheese, thinly sliced
6 small cornichons, coarsely chopped
4 quarter-inch-thick slices (about 4 ounces) baked country ham
Procedure
1. Heat a sandwich press according to manufacturer's instructions. Meanwhile, spread each piece of bread on one side with 1 1/2 teaspoons butter. (If going the baguette route, skip this step.)
2. Put the bread, buttered sides down, on a cutting board and spread 1 1/2 teaspoons of mustard on two slices. Top each with some cheese. Sprinkle the chopped cornichons on top of cheese. Arrange the ham on top of the cornichons. Top each sandwich with the remaining bread slices, buttered side up.
3. Place the sandwiches on the press, and pull the top down. Cook until sandwiches are browned and crisp, 3 to 5 minutes, depending on heat of your press. Remove from press and serve immediately.
Notes
- Make sure you do thinly slice the cheese. My slices were a bit thick the first time I made this sandwich, and the cheese failed to melt evenly.
- I used baguette for this sandwich, but I'd recommend the country hearth bread, as the thick baguette threw off the crucial bread-to-filling ratio.
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8 Comments:
Do pickles work as a sub for cornichons? (Am I the only one who had to look that up?)
pookywookyster at 2:47PM on 03/03/08
Throw a fried egg on top of this and I'll be your best friend.
CVilleBilly at 2:52PM on 03/03/08
W/Mornay sauce on the side!
aharste at 4:02PM on 03/03/08
Neo-classic? More like a Croque misnomer. Without Mornay, this is just a grilled ham and cheese.
mlt43 at 5:44PM on 03/03/08
@Pookywookyster: You could probably use pickles, yes.
@CVilleBilly: Then you'd have a "Neo-Classic Croque Madame."
@aharste: Yeah. The sauce would help some.
@mlt43: I didn't name the thing. Yes. Essentially it's a grilled ham and cheese. A good and crisp and toasty one, but yes.
Adam Kuban at 6:45PM on 03/03/08
I'll second the tip about using the country hearth bread - while baguettes are so tasty, unfortunately they're often a bit unwieldy with panini. Ciabatta might be nice with this one as well!
paninikathy at 8:48PM on 03/03/08
Haven't met a varaition of grilled ham & cheese that I didn't like.
cher48603 at 5:47PM on 03/04/08
I'm with Cville Billy - if there's a better sandwich out there than the croque madame, well, I don't know what it is.
I'm in Richmond, Virginia and we have a place that makes a truly phenomenal one....the perfect combination of every ingredient. That and a beer (or a couple) is my perfect Saturday lunch.
spydur01 at 12:07AM on 03/12/08