Croque Monsieur – The Yorkshire Edition

Let’s put one thing to bed right at the outset of this post – croque monsieur (which is of course French) is basically a cheese and ham toastie. There, I said it. However, it’s more than just a cheese and ham toastie – it is heaven in toasted bread form! Here’s my take on this classic dish which a few twists from the norm.

The first twist is that, due to my local Co-Op Food Store not stocking it, the Gruyere cheese is substituted for a 2:1 blend of grated mozzarella and strong mature cheddar. I will one day make this with the proper French cheese of course – when I remember to buy some. Other than that this is a pretty standard recipe that even a person with only basic cookery skills could prepare and master. You will also have to bear with me on the ingredient quantities as I don’t weight anything and it’s cooking by instinct.

What you will need
  • 2 thick slices of crusty white loaf (about 1.5cm thick)
  • 3-4 slices ham (i’ll let you choose what sort whether is be the cheapest stuff you can find or the finest prosciutto)
  • a good handful of grated mozerella/stong cheddar blend (2:1 mix)
  • a knob of butter (yes you could use oil but butter tastes better!)

How to make it
  1. Butter both clices of bread
  2. Take one slice (butter side up) and put on half the cheese, then add you ham (folding it over), add the remaining cheese and the other slice of bread
  3. Press the sandwich together firmly
  4. Heat half of the butter on you hot plate or large frying pan.
  5. Once the butter had melted place you sandwich on the plate/pan
  6. Press down with a spatulla and heat for a couple of minutes until the butter has soaked in and the cheese has started to melt
  7. Take the sandwich off and put the remaining butter on the plate/pan and melt it
  8. Put the sandwich back on, this time the un-cooked side down and heat again for a couple of minutes, pressing down with a spatula

And that’s it – voila!

 

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