Croque Monsieur

Croque Monsieur

Recipe by Nathan Lippy

 Ingredients:

• ½ stick Unsalted Butter
• 2 tablespoons Bacon fat
• ¼ cup All-purpose Flour
• 1 ½ cup Whole Milk
• 2 cups shredded Gruyere
• 8 slices crusty White Bread
• 16 thin slices sweet Ham
• ¼ cup spicy brown Mustard
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf Parsley
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Using a small sauce pot over medium heat, add the butter and bacon fat and melt. Add the flour and stir to combine. Cook for 3-4 minutes then add 1/3 of the milk. Whisk to evenly combine and then add the remaining milk and whisk to incorporate. Cook for an additional 5-7 minutes over low heat. Add salt and pepper to taste and 1/3 of the shredded gruyere and stir to evenly melt.
2. Toast the bread on both side with a bit of olive oil.
3. Add a thin spread of mustard to each slice of toast and then add some shredded gruyere over the tops of 4. Add 2 slices of ham over the cheese and then a bit of the creamy sauce. Add 2 more pieces of ham and then a bit more shredded gruyere over the top. Add the top piece of bread to build the sandwich and then place on the griddle over low heat to melt the cheese.
4. Garnish with chopped parsley (if desired, torch the cheese to get a bit of color) slice and serve hot.