One of the go-to weekend lunches around the Stay at Stove
Dad household is the old grilled cheese. I love them because they’re quick and
easy, and my girls love them because, well, who doesn’t love a grilled cheese.
They like them open faced, with cheddar, and it takes about
ten minutes (sometimes less) under the broiler to get them finished. Do you
really want me to tell you how? Okay, I will: lay the bread on a cookie sheet,
put slices of cheddar on top, and run under the broiler until melted. There, you’re
done. You could probably cook it faster than it takes to read this post.
Sometimes, I’ll play around a bit with the grilled cheese,
and Nina will ask for a Croque-Monsieur. She had one a while back at my
workplace cafeteria, and she loves them. The version I make is a bit of a lie.
It’s more a poor-man’s Croque Monsieur than anything else, but she still likes
it.
I basically make a closed-faced grilled cheese and put some
frizzled ham (ham that I’ve fried up in a pan) in the center of it. I used to
make it with Gruyère, but I’ve since started economizing, and have resorted to
using cheddar.
A true Croque-Monsieur is a thing of beauty. A crunchy,
savory, and succulent sandwich. It's mouthwatering. Am I
using too many adjectives? I wonder, but writing this entry is making me hungry for one
right now, and while hunger may be a good seasoning, it’s not exactly an aid to
thinking or writing.
The origins of the Croque-Monsieur are a good story, though.
According to legend (and this About.com French Food Site), “The
Croque Monsieur, or “Crispy Mister,” appeared on Parisian café menus in 1910.
The original Croque Monsieur was simply a hot ham and Gruyere cheese sandwich,
fried in butter. Some believe it was accidentally created when French workers
left their lunch pails by a hot radiator and came back later to discover the
cheese in their sandwiches had melted.”
Today, the Croque-Monsier is a bit more
elaborate. Ina Garten, of the Food Network, has a tasty recipe here, and the
online recipe site Epicurious has one here. They both involve making sauces,
and with two kids running around that’s kind of a far-fetched idea for me. But
you might feel differently. And if you’re looking for ways to spice up a plain,
old grilled cheese, last month’s Food Network Magazine had fifty different ways
to do so.