Croque Monsieur

There is nothing better than the smell of fresh baked bread in your home; it is truly blissful!  

I just finished baking Brioche, but not just any brioche; Thomas Keller's brioche, which is found in all his cook books in honor of his friend Jean-Louis Palladin; one of the greatest French chefs that immigrated to the USA in the late 70's.  You can read about Jean-Louis Palladin here http://www.jamesbeard.org/index.php?q=education_jlp_about 

Croque Monsieur

Bless the French for their incredible culinary cuisines; Croque Monsieur is definitely one of the best ham and cheese sandwiches our family loves.  For years, we have eaten Croque Monsieur or even a Croque Madame (notes on the Madame later) in fine restaurants, but nothing compares to eating this sandwich in France.  Our girls love, love eating Croque Monsieur whenever it is offered on a menu and lucky for them; they've had it in many of our travels such as: France, London, Canada and when we visit my home town of Los Angeles.  When we dine at Bouchon in Beverly Hills and they have it on their menu; we are definitely ordering it. We also loved Croque Monsieur at Anisette Brasserie located in Santa Monica, which sadly closed this year; but it was outstanding and one of our favorite places that made it very similar as our favorite restaurants in France.  In Seattle, well, we have yet to find a great Croque Monsieur we like in a restaurant, but we sure love it at home at the Laurenti Whitley Casa.

For the Brioche recipe; well, I cannot share Thomas Keller's recipe on my blog (it really is Jean-Louis' recipe), but you can purchase any of Thomas Keller's cook books and you are sure to find it in there.  Thomas Keller made sure to have the recipe [printed] in his cook books as it is the best brioche recipe and definitely, the best I've ever tasted.  You can find part of the recipe written without measurements at http://www.imafoodblog.com/index.php/2009/02/04/how-to-make-brioche-the-keller-method , but I highly recommend to buy one of his books (for the at-home-cook, buy Ad-Hoc, it's one of his easiest cook books to follow and with ingredients you can find in your local grocery stores.

Sadie's Croque Monsieur Sauce and Sandwich Recipe for 4

Mornay Sauce with Dijon
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup of whole milk
freshly ground nutmeg (dash)
1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard "Grey Poupon" is my favorite
1/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
salt

Making a roux for 4 Croque Monsieur sandwiches.
Melt butter on medium low heat, add flour and stir with whisk for about 4 minutes.  Slowly add milk while whisking; add nutmeg and mustard and continue whisking until roux is almost thick; add cheese and salt; continue to whisk until thick.   Set aside
(If holding sauce for a while, be sure to cover the surface with a plastic wrap so that it does not create a crust on top).

Ingredients for Sandwich
4 slices of a high quality black forest ham
4 slices of a high quality Gruyere
Freshly baked Brioche; cooled and sliced (4 slices for open faced sandwich or 8 slices for sandwiches)
1/2 cup grated Gruyere
2 tablespoons of melted butter
1 sheet pan covered with parchment paper

Heat oven on Broil and while it is heating, build the sandwiches

1. Heat a skillet pan (preferably a cast iron skillet)
2. Brush melted butter on outside of bread
3. Build sandwich with a little bit of Mornay Sauce on the inside of your bread, gruyere cheese  and ham; top with second slice of bread. If making an open faced sandwich, do not add second slice of bread on top. Brown sandwich in skillet; carefully turning over to both sides. 
4. When both sides are toasted, place sandwiches on a sheet pan covered with parchment paper (the pan is covered with parchment, not the sandwiches).
5. On the top slice of your bread add Mornay Sauce and top with grated Gruyere. (For open faced sandwich, top with Mornay Sauce and Gruyere on top of the ham).

Broil sandwiches for 1-2 minutes until sauce and cheese begin to bubble and turn slightly golden in color.

Serve with French Fries or serve on its own.

Wait, did you think I forgot about Madame?  No, I did not.  Croque Madame is the recipe above, but with a fried egg to complete the top of the sandwich.  Place the egg on top of your sandwich after the sandwich comes out of the broiler. It's common to have it on an open faced sandwich, but I've seen it served with a full sandwich as well and it is just as delicious!

Bon Appetit

Summer Ends and Autumn Begins... Scalloped Potatoes with Beecher's Cheese

Welcoming Autumn in New England, where the Autumn colors dance in the wind as you drive by with a sigh.  Breathtaking!

Summer was absolutely fun this year with all my travel experiences.  I got to travel this summer to many places, but my most favorite was in Tegucigalpa, Honduras to visit an orphanage (N.P.H., Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos) www.nph.org  and I spent the most amazing time there with babies, children, teenagers, university students, grandparents, special needs kids and adults and all the volunteers that are called out by the name Tia's and Tio's, which is auntie's and uncles in Spanish.  My favorite time there, well, it was all great, but I did enjoy the kitchen of course.  I got to help cook with women that were wholeheartedly dedicated, happy and amazing women.  We cooked fresh corn tortillas daily, chicken soup with vegetables from the garden at the orphanage, beans and rice which are both a staple food in their daily diets and vegetable soups.  Feeding 500 people daily, three times a day, was a lot of work, but the joy in my heart being in a kitchen filled with women that truly enjoy their jobs and helping at the orphanage, was an incredible experience for me.  This is what true "unconditional love" is all about.  Breaking bread, well tortillas, with these women was a blessing daily. 

Another one of my favorite places this summer, was Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands. My favorite restaurant there is Allium and Chef Lisa Nakamura, is an incredible chef de cuisine.  It's nice to live in Seattle, where you can do day trips to any of the San Juan Islands, ahh, the joys of the N.W.  Visit Allium at http://alliumonorcas.com/.

As Autumn is here and we crave comfort food, our bodies feel the cold breeze coming in and we want a warm and healthy meal. This is a simple and delightful Scalloped Potato served in individual ramekins.

Scalloped Potatoes Sadie's Style

Serves 4 individual ramekins

4  medium red potatoes (1 per person)
1/2 cup grated or crumbled Beecher's cheese (this is a N.W. favorite, but you can substitute with your favorite cheese)
8 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning (thyme, rosemary)
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375*degrees
Wash and scrub potatoes clean; slice thinly (1/8 inch thick)
Prepare square ramekins (4 3/4” x 3/4”), by coating them with a light layer of butter.

Lay first layer of potatoes in an overlapping pattern in the ramekin dish.  In order, sprinkle salt, pepper and Italian Seasoning on potatoes.  Take about 1 tablespoon of grated cheese and sprinkle on first layer.
Repeat second layer as before.  Add 2 tablespoons of heavy cream to top layer and add leftover cheese on top.
Place ramekins on a sheet pan and bake uncovered for 35 minutes. 

Simple and delicious!

This recipe can be made one day ahead and reheated in the oven for 10 minutes at 400*degrees or in a microwave.  It also freezes well.  Another favorite in my house is the scalloped potato for breakfast.  If I make these the night before and cool them in the refrigerator; in the morning, I scramble 3 eggs with some cream and fill the ramekin until it reaches just below the lip of the ramekin. I place it in the oven for about 10 minutes at 400*degrees and add a little sprinkle of cheese on top to brown.  It's delicious! 

Buon Appetito!