French Kiss: Parmesan-Buttered Croque Monsieur

The Setting: Fleece socks; lots of layers; frozen fingertips; sleeping baby.

The Soundtrack: Snow shovels scraping asphalt.

Steaming up the (microwave) Oven: Hot water for tea, Black Cherry Berry this time. It's good, but I prefer Lemon Zinger.

The Scenario: Dreaming of romantic times and warmer climes.

Early in our relationship Hoosband and I did a little falling in love in the Basque Country.

Along with our friend Joyner, our collective backpacks, and our trusty, rented Peugeot, we drove from Barcelona to Bordeaux, from Pamplona to Perpignan, stopping upon the Pyrenees and along the coasts as we pleased.

We were young, adventurous, and cash-strapped. It was, as you can imagine, amazing.

One of our first stops was the beach-town of Biarritz, France, along the Bay of Biscay. We stopped on a whim to dip our toes in the water and decided to stay for lunch.

It was here, at what was more of a concession-stand than a cafe, that I consumed my first croque-monsieur.

A French take on a ham-and-cheese sandwich, the so-called "Mr. Crunch" came hot, pressed, and oozing with bechamel and melted Gruyere. Now that is my kind of fast food.

Parmesan-Buttered Croque-Monsieur
Rather than keeping the Gruyere and bechamel separate, I like to mix them together without fully melting the cheese, making a sort of chunky Mornay sauce--sometimes I add a little Parmesan to the sauce as well. As for the bread and ham, I like a good sandwich bread such as Whole Foods' 365 Snappy Sourdough or a homemade whole wheat (as pictured in this post), and either shaved Virginia ham from the deli counter or a mix of deli ham and prosciutto (using all prosciutto can make it too salty). Coating the outsides of the bread with a simple Parmesan compound butter lends extra flavor and crunch.

1 oz unsalted butter
1 oz flour
1 cup milk (skim is fine)
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp coarse black pepper
4-5 oz coarsely shredded Gruyere cheese
Parmesan Compound Butter, room temperature, recipe follows
Bread of choice
Ham of choice

Make the Mornay Sauce: Gently melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-to-med-low heat. Whisk in the flour to form a roux. Whisk in the milk very gradually to avoid creating lumps. Continue cooking and whisking until the sauce is just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and stay parted when you run your finger through it (on the spoon). Remove from heat and stir in the cheese.

Makes enough for several sandwiches. Keeps well for up to one week stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

Make the Sandwich: Set a small skillet over med-high heat. Butter the outsides of two pieces of bread with the Parmesan butter. Place one piece buttered-side-down in the skillet. Top with a generous dollop of Mornay sauce, followed by ham, more Mornay sauce, and the remaining slice of bread, buttered side up. Use a large spatula to press the sandwich layers together and help you get a good sear on the bread. Cook 2-4 minutes on each side or until the bread is golden and crunchy and the cheese sauce is oozing and bubbly.

Croque Madame Variation: To make "Mrs. Crunch," top the Croque Monsieur with a fried egg.

Croque d'Auvergne Variation: Use Bleu d'Auvergne, a soft blue cheese from Auvergne, France, in place of the Gruyere.

Parmesan Compound Butter
You can use American Parmesan or another good imitation if you'd like, but nothing will be quite as good as the real thing.

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp coarse black pepper

Combine all ingredients in an electric mixer till light and fluffy. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Thanks for reading! Here's to Being the Secret Ingredient in your life.

From Eze to South Florida

The Setting: A lovely day off. Blue skies. Sunshine. Breakfast.

The Soundtrack: Wealth Track with Consuelo Mack on PBS

On the Stove-top: Whole Wheat Crepes

The Scenario: Dreaming about European adventures gone by, I'm testing Belgian CocoaHaze! chocolate-hazelnut spread and hoping to recreate one of my favorite edibles from Eze, France.

Crepe stands and creperies are as abundant along the streets of Nice and the shopping malls of Bordeaux as the freckles on my face in the summer.

But it was in the historic mountain-top town of Eze that I devoured my first French crepes, from savory ham, tomato, and Gruyere to sweet Nutella and banana.

So simple, so good.

A crepe is like a hybrid of an omelette and a pancake, but thinner than either. An edible envelope of sorts, it can be tucked and folded over and around anything the palate desires.

I desire sweet. I just hope my whole-wheat attempt at healthfulness doesn't strip this dish of its structural- or taste-integrity!!

For the Crepes:
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (I use King Aurthur)
1/8 tsp cinnamon
dash freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk, plain or vanilla (I use Pacific Natural Foods)
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly (I use Kerrygold)
1/2 tsp orange blossom honey (or local honey)
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp white vinegar

In a food processor combine all but the last three ingredients, processing till smooth.

Allow batter to rest at least 30 minutes (you can keep it in the fridge overnight at this point if you desire).

Place a small, nonstick skillet over med-high heat (you can grease it if you desire). Combine water, baking soda, and vinegar and quickly stir into the batter.

Pour just enough batter into the pan to almost coat the bottom. Immediately pick up the pan and gently swirl the batter around to completely coat the bottom. Allow the crepes to cook about 30 seconds on each side (if you are incredibly adept, you can flip the crepes right in the pan with a jerk of your arm, but I generally rely on a little nudging from a silicone spatula to do the trick). Don't worry if your first crepe is a bust--mine always is.

For filling:
CocoaHaze! All natural Belgian hazelnut and cocoa spread
2 bananas

Gently spread a thin layer of CocoaHaze! on each crepe. Thinly slice the banana, and distribute along the centers of the crepes. Fold the edges of the crepes inward to cover the banana, and serve.

Makes about 6-8 crepes, depending on the size of your pan.

Afterthoughts:
I was incredibly happy with how my "healthier" crepes turned out. Conventional wisdom stipulates up to 1/3 of the amount of flour in a recipe can be switched out for whole-wheat four, but I have been finding more and more that white flour is unnecessary in my kitchen. I'm sure the rule holds true in some cases, but the breads, cookies, brownies, and now crepes that I have eagerly consumed in recent weeks are welcome exceptions.

Another exciting revelation: Almond Milk. I am growing more and more in love with this stuff.

Honestly, I've never been a big milk drinker--I mean, my blood-latte-level is pushing lethal limits most days of the week, but I've never enjoyed a cold glass of the white stuff with my dinner. So for my purposes, almond milk might just push the gallon jug out of the fridge. Except for making queso fresco...I think.

CocoaHaze!: And the verdict is.... Superb! Every bit as delicious as Nutella.

These crepes were the shiznit. Such a good breakfast. I only wished I had some fresh sliced strawberries to serve on the side.

Next time I'm topping with whipped cream or sweetened mascarpone for an elegant dessert. Yum!