Croque-Monsieur

Another essential food lesson Mom taught me was the power of the sandwich. Simple, elegant, and so often delicious. I have eaten a lot of ham sandwiches in my life, but nothing tops a well-made croque-monsieur. The croque-monsieur is the quintessential French café food. Literally translated as "Mr. Crunchy," this sandwich combines crunchiness, creaminess, and a decadent cheesiness in every bite. This recipe makes two sandwiches. 
  

Ingredients 

Sauce Mornay

• 1 TBS butter
• 1 TBS flour
• 1/2 - 2/3 cup milk (I used skim)
• Splash of cream
• Salt and Pepper
• Pinch of nutmeg
• 1/3 cup grated gruyère, loosely packed

Sandwiches

• 4 slices Italian bread
• Sliced ham
• A little extra grated gruyère
• Dijon mustard

Instructions 

We'll first prepare the Sauce Mornay. Essentially, Mornay is a Sauce Béchamel with cheese folded in. It's also great on pasta or with a lot of other foods. Melt butter in a saucepan on medium heat. Add flour and stir together. Cook until the mixture has darkened a bit. Heat up the milk, with a splash of cream. I just use the microwave for this. Slowly pour the hot milk into the saucepan while stirring. How much milk you use will determine the thickness of the sauce. Mix together well, and simmer a bit. Add salt and pepper to taste, and a bit of nutmeg. Finally, add the cheese and stir in so that it melts into the sauce. Set this aside, but make sure to keep it warm.

Spread mustard over two of the bread slices. Put several pieces of ham on each, however much you desire. Smear the sauce over the ham. Don't use all of it. Depending on preference, use up about 2/3 of the sauce here, maybe a bit less. Cover with the remaining bread, and smear the rest of the sauce over the top. Optionally, sprinkle some more grated cheese on top.

Place the sandwiches in a baking pan, and broil for about 1 1/2 minutes. Be very careful, and keep a close watch on the oven. It is very easy to burn the edges of the bread (as I did here). If this happens, just crack the burnt pieces off. When you're done, the cheese on top will be browned, and the bread crunchy. A popular variation, the Croque-Madame ("Mrs. Crunchy"), features a fried egg on top. Bon appétit!