Croque Monsieur Battle * Melts v. Milk. Made.
April 12, 2017 by JennyToday, April 12th, is National Grilled Cheese Day and to celebrate such a gooey, delicious observation, I put two great Croque Monsieur recipes to the test. Who won? Keep reading to find out.
The bottom Croque Monsieur (and the one to the right
on the spatula in the photo above) is from Melts, a new release from Fern Green. The
Croque Monsieur directly above (and to the left top) is Nick
Haddow’s version from Milk. Made., a recent James Beard nominated
book.
Roughly the same amount of time was needed to make each sandwich
and I was able to not confuse the two thankfully because Fern’s
recipe calls for the crusts to be removed. Thank you Fern, or I
would have been putting sticky notes on my sandwiches. The hardest
part of making these two recipes was keeping the two giant Labs
that I am taking care of for a friend out of my way.
I
followed both recipes to the letter for the competition but then
switched them up a bit to use Cabot’s Sharp Light Cheddar in lieu
of Gruyère. Actually, my son loved the Cabot cheddar version better
and I thought it was delicious.
Since 1919, the farm families that own Cabot Creamery Co-operative
love what they do. Almost 100 years later, they are proud of their
thriving farms, strong communities, and happy, healthy cows that
produce the rich, buttery milk that is used to make Cabot’s
awarding-winning cheese and dairy products. Fans of
Cabot and Hardie Grant who are visiting this post today – we would
like to extend a warm welcome with a three month free trial of Eat
Your Books’ services using the code CABOT17.
Back to the competition – both recipes were delicious. Milk.
Made.’s version was more creamy and Melts’ was tangy from the Dijon
which I personally loved. The verdict from my two taste testers –
my husband preferred the Melts’ sandwich and my son preferred Milk.
Made.’s. It was a hard call for me, but I have to say I think the
Dijon won me over in the Melts’ version – but I wouldn’t turn down
either. The winner: Fern Green’s Croque Monsieur from Melts. You
can try both for yourself and have your own Croque Monsieur battle
as Hardie Grant and the authors are sharing both recipes below for
our members today.
After you have read about these two great books, head over to our contest page for a chance to win one of three prize packages that consist of: a copy of Melts, a copy of Milk. Made. and a gift box of Cabot’s delicious cheeses. Our appreciation to both Hardie Grant for supplying these beautiful books and the folks at Cabot Creamery for the gift of delicious cheese!
Melts: Over 50 Delicious Toasted and Grilled
Sandwich Recipes by Fern Green will help you
reignite your love of grilled sandwiches in her fun new book. I
remember when I was in grade school, the best lunch of the week was
Friday – tomato soup and a grilled cheese. Now as an adult, I’m not
sure why I don’t make grilled cheese very often – I really need to
rectify that situation.
Fern shares a wonderful variety of delicious combinations and
lovely photographs of classics and unique sandwiches alike. Recipes
such as Portobello Mushroom and Thyme Butter, Vintage Cheddar,
Bloody Mary Butter, Bacon & Rocket, and Bombay Masala or Spiced
Potato await you in this perfect book for the grilled cheese lover
in all of us. And a side note, I love the cutout bread window on
the cover!
The French take on a ham and cheese toastie. Croque comes from the French word croquer, meaning ‘to be crunchy’. The ever-so-delicious Gruyère makes this a total classic.
Set the grill (broiler) to a medium-high heat and line a baking tray with baking parchment.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan, then turn off the heat. Brush one side of each slice of bread with about half of the butter and grill (broil) the bread butter side up until golden, then set aside.
Stir the flour into the saucepan with the remaining butter to make a paste. Cook over a medium heat for 1 minute, stirring continuously. Gradually whisk in the milk and continue whisking until smooth. Reduce the heat and simmer for 4-5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. If you find it splits and the fat starts to separate, don’t worry; sprinkle in a little more flour and whisk it through.
Take the saucepan off the heat and stir in 30 g (1 oz) of the Gruyère until it has incorporated into the sauce. Add the nutmeg and Dijon mustard, then season.
Top with the other slice of bread, toasted side facing out, and pour over the cheese sauce. Grill for about 5 minutes or until the sauce is golden and bubbling.
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Recipe excerpted with permission from Melts by Fern Green, published by Hardie Grant Books April 2017, RRP $19.99 hardcover
Haddow is the founder of The Bruny Island Cheese Company in Tasmania, Australia and has spent more than 10 years working with cheese makers around the globe – he knows his stuff. This book is gorgeous and the story it shares is inspiring.
Nick Haddow’s Milk. Made. Croque Monsieur
Add this recipe to your Bookshelf (click
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