Croque Monsieur & Croque Madame

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            FOOD FUNNY
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Thanks again to Anna W. of Uppsala, Sweden for this:

The parsnip, children, I repeat,
Is simply an anemic beet.
Some people call the parsnip edible;
Myself I find this claim incredible.

- Ogden Nash

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            TODAY'S RECIPES
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This classic French version of the grilled ham and cheese sandwich
has been a fixture of every cafe and bar in France since the early
part of the 20th century. There are many variations on the theme,
some of them involving dipping the sandwich in bechamel sauce
before frying or grilling, and many French establishments use a
special appliance similar to a waffle iron to give the bread a
characteristic seashell shape. This recipe is one of many traditional
versions.

Croque Monsieur

For each sandwich:
2 tsp (10 ml) butter
2 slices white bread
1-2 oz (30-60 g) thinly sliced ham
1-2 oz (30-60 g) shredded Gruyere cheese

Spread the butter on one side of both pieces of bread. Place one
slice of bread butter-side down on a baking sheet, top with the
ham, and place the remaining slice of bread butter-side up on top.
Cook under a preheated broiler until golden brown. Flip the sandwich
over, top with the shredded cheese, and broil until the cheese is
bubbling and golden brown. Serves 1.

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Croque Madame

The croque madame hasn't been around as long as her masculine
counterpart, apparently appearing sometime around 1960. Exactly what a
croque madame is depends on where you are. In France it is usually just
a croque monsieur with a fried egg on top. In Britain and the U.S. it
somehow came to mean that chicken had been substituted for the ham in a
traditional croque monsieur. Make either or both adjustments to the
recipe above to make your own personal style of croque madame.
Received on Tue May 8 06:53:43 2007