
This week we made Croque Monsieur sandwiches for Barefoot Bloggers. Croque Monsieur is the French-ed up version of a grilled cheese. It typically has Gruyere or Emmenthal cheese, ham and mustard. The sandwich is topped with a Mornay sauce-a Bechamel sauce with cheese added. Croque Monsiuer is a really decadent, rich sandwich, and this is a nice version of it. The sauce is especially good. Of course, I didn't use the ham. These sandwiches are supposed to have a browned, and bubbly top. Notice that mine look pale. This is because I have a great distrust of all broilers, so I baked mine in the oven instead of broiling them. I avoid using broilers because every single time I've cooked something in one, the food has either a)burned to a crisp, or, b)burst into flames. If you are better with broilers than I am, please go ahead and broil your Croque Monsieur sandwiches to get the lovely golden crust. If you want to make this sandwich even more special, serve it with a fried or poached egg on top. The egg-y version is officially called a Croque Madame. As far as I know, there is no such thing as a Croque Mademoiselle...
To see Ina's recipe for Croque Monsieur, please visit the wonderful blog, "All Food Considered." http://allfoodconsidered.blogspot.com/2009/04/barefoot-bloggers-croque-monsieur-oui.html
To read more about the Barefoot Bloggers, visit the web site: http://barefootbloggers.wordpress.com/


This salad starts with a layer of black-eyed peas-you can use canned, or cook up some dried beans as I did. Moving up, we have: a layer of shredded lettuce, diced red onion, diced tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, black olives, and feta cheese on top. If you wanted a vegan salad, all you would need to do is cut out the feta, or maybe replace it with some diced baked tofu, or some tempeh. I made a basic oil and vinegar dressing: olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. You could really use any dressing you want with this salad.

Please stay tuned for more fabulous Ina Garten-Barefoot Blogger recipes, hopefully posted on the proper day.
That looks yummy...so rich and gooey. Yum! I do not have much luck with the broiler either...I'm notorious for burning our garlic bread.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely way to present Greek style salad. The kind of food you want to eat on a warm sunshining day.
ReplyDeleteKristy- My dad burns grilled cheese in the broiler too, all the time. Maybe it's genetic?
ReplyDeletemango- Thank you!
Hahaha, a true baker's phobia: the broiler! I think your Croque Monsieur looks great! And that Greek salad has me grabbing my fork and rearing to go. I want some now! Everything looks super yummy.
ReplyDeleteI used to hate the broiler until I moved away from the @#*&#@% oven it was in. My broiling has been much better since I got an oven that wasn't 40 years old. I hope you're able to find one that works for you because some things are just great when broiled (I'm thinking about garlic bread, which would go great with that beautiful salad!)
ReplyDeleteThe grilled cheese looks yummy. One of the things I do best is broil, most of our food is broiled and/or baked. :)
ReplyDeleteAll your dishes look so delicious, Michele.
ReplyDeleteThat "Mr. Sandwich" and Greek salad got me drooling, and then I saw those fava beans - awesome! (Perhaps served with a nice chianti -mmfmpppp....!)
YUM. Melty cheese is always a good thing. Since our toaster broke many months ago, I've been using the broiler to make toast. I've burned my hands one too many times. I don't know why we haven't bought a new toaster.
ReplyDeleteI love Greek salad. Your's looks delicious.
wow that greek salad looks amazing!
ReplyDeleteSalad looks great. Sandwich looks very gooey and yummy too!
ReplyDeleteSandy- I have not broiled in years...
ReplyDeleteBarbara- Thank you! I wish fava beans were easier to find. I love Chianti and Prosecco!
ReplyDeleteThanks Wendy! Yikes! Sorry about your burns. I started a tea bag on fire when I made the chai cake. I don't have a toaster either, so I use the oven. I am coveting this awesome Cuisinart brick lined oven (it's the size of a microwave). It is supposed to make amazing baked goods. I'm just not sure if we have room for it.
ReplyDeleteThank you mangocheeks!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Elyse!!
ReplyDeleteLeslie- Broiled garlic bread does sound yummy!
ReplyDeleteThank you Jaime!
ReplyDelete