Grilled cheese reaches pinnacle in croque-monsieur
As the days grow shorter, my cooking leans toward comfort. Be forewarned, I like my comfort food with a bit of flflair and plenty of warm cheese. Freshly shredded, it improves any macaroni and cheese. Vegetable and bean soups come into their own with a garnish of grated hard cheese. Even hot dogs taste better stuffffffffffffed with cheese wrapped in bacon and grilled. A grilled cheese sandwich, made with hearty bread and sweet butter always satisfifies.
A cheesy, Monte Cristo sandwich, relished on my fifirst trip to Manhattan many years ago, proves the culprit for this cheesy penchant. Layered, buttered and battered, then sprin- kled with sugar, this was not my mother’s grilled cheese. Later, a Parisian anniversary trip yielded my first croque-monsieur, the griddled French Gruyere cheese and ham snack that started a sandwich revolution.
I’ve been playing around with the combination of bread and cheese ever since, from weekday quesadillas to a friend’s inspired meatless version of the classic Reuben. My favorite rendition of croque-monsieur involves a smear of a cheesy white sauce, aka bechamel, enriched with cream cheese a n d r i d d l e d wi t h f r e s h herbs. Local soft cheeses, diminutive pretzel loaves and whole grain mustards never fail to inspire sandwiches perfectly suited to casual dinners with friends.
The keys to success prove few: Freshly shredded or sliced cheese, good bread, sweet butter, a heavy nonstick griddle. If you have a panini press, great. Or, flip the waffle iron plates to the smooth side. A hot oven will help keep sandwiches crisp.
Gruyere’s nutty flflavor and melting qualities make it the ideal cheese for melting goodness. Likewise French Comte. Among domestic cheeses, fontina or Muenster have mild flflavors and textures that turn pleasingly gooey when heated.
For the bread, I prefer to purchase unsliced, wholegrain loaves at my loc al farmers market or bakery.
Then, a serrated knife makes quick work of cutting ½-inch thick slices. I al so enjoy c roque - monsieurs on torpedo-shaped pretzel rolls and soft Mexican teleras. Ciabatta rolls work, too, albeit they are a bit chewy. Sliced brioche bread tastes great and crisps beautifully.
A c r o q u e - m o n s i e u r includes ham — Black For- est or Westphalian hams have rich, smoky flflavor and add a toothsome, meaty texture to any grilled cheese sandwich.
Other options include sliced deli ham or ham-offffffffffffthe-bone. I like Trader Joe’s sliced oven-roasted rose - mary ham in combination with this herbaceous white sauce.
C h u n k s o f s m o k e d salmon, turkey or chicken can stand in for the ham. Or, make it a vegetarian treat, and use grilled sliced eggplant (or more cheese!). Sliced tomatoes taste great in the sandwich but tend to make everything more moist and more diffifficult to cook. If using, slice the tomatoes thinly and pat them dry. FYI, I’d never say no to a fried egg and a shower of fresh herbs on top of any grilled cheese concoction.
Serve hot cheesy sandwiches with sides that counter the richness, such as sharp pickles and/or a green salad tossed with balsamic vinaigrette. Then consider yourself comforted.