Chew on This | Croque Monsieur

You know the sickness, or phenomenon, that occurs when a man gets a television remote in his hands? The one where he has complete control over all viewing options and changes the station at the precise moment you start getting interested in a program? 

Well, I think I may have caught that sickness.  

I find myself clicking through the channels, stopping often but never really landing on anything for very long. However, if I do find something slightly interesting I'll stop momentarily but wonder if I'm missing something better on another station. And thus, the channel surfing begins again. Ugh.

I don't know if it's a jittery thumb that keeps clicking the remote or just plain old boredom mixed in with a touch of wandering attention span. Whatever it is, it's annoying. And I'd like to put the blame on The Husband for giving me the sickness influencing me in such a negative way. Ha!

Cares

Here's our recipe:

Speaking of The Husband, I made this sandwich especially for him. He's a lover of cheese smothered meats and breads! You'll become one too once you make and devour this Croque Monsieur! 

Croque Monsieur

(serves 4)

2 T butter

2 T flour

1 1/2 C milk

1 t Dijon mustard

1/4 t ground nutmeg

1 bay leaf

1 t salt

1/2 t pepper

1/3 C grated gruyere cheese

8 slices white bread (I used an artisan Italian bread)

8-12 slices Black Forest ham (2-3 slices per sandwich)

3/4 C grated gruyere cheese

4 T whole grain mustard

1-2 T butter

1/4 C grated gruyere

In a small sauce pan over medium heat, melt 2 T butter. Whisk in your flour and continue to whisk until flour had been cooked, almost 2 minutes. Slowly add in your milk while still whisking. Next, add in your Dijon mustard, nutmeg, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Continue stirring while sauce begins to thicken. Once thick, but still pourable, take your sauce off the heat and toss in your gruyere cheese and stir until melted and completely incorporated into the sauce. Set aside.

Now it's time to build your sandwiches! Top four slices of bread with 2-3 slices of ham. Divide your 3/4 C of gruyere cheese between the four sandwiches. Next, spread a tablespoon of grainy mustard onto each of the remaining four slices of bread and place atop the sandwiches you have built. Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add some butter. Place two sandwiches to the pan and allow each side to crisp to a golden brown. While you're toasting your sandwiches in the skillet, preheat your broiler.

When your sandwiches are toasty, golden brown, place them onto a foil lined cookie sheet. Spoon your delicious sauce, that you made earlier, over the top of each sandwich (you'll probably have some extra sauce left over). Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of gruyere over the four sauce covered sandwiches and place under the broiler until cheese begins to brown. Serve and enjoy!