Croque Monsieur and Fondue Recipes using Gruyere
Croque Monsieur
Gruyere is used to make the famous Croque Monsieur, that classic French grilled cheese/ham sandwich that is a staple of Parisian bistros everywhere. Other cheeses we carry today that are delicious and melt smoothly are Raclette and Alpenkase Reserve.
- First create a Béchamel Sauce (2 tbs. of butter and 2 tbs. flour with milk streamed and whisked in a little at a time)
- For Croque Monsieur keep the sauce a little thicker and add 1 tbs of Dijon mustard. Also add just a smidgen of nutmeg to the sauce.
- Spread sauce on slices of bread that lay on parchment lined baking sheet.
- Place ham on bread and grate Gruyere over top.
- Place other slices of bread on top to close sandwich and grate more Gruyere on top of it.
- Bake sandwiches at 425 degrees F for 10-15 minutes.
- Cover in more Béchamel and eat it with a knife and fork. You may want to dip it in Dijon mustard.
Have delicious Culatello Ham from Italy sliced thin in our Cheese Shop by Janis, Margaret or Herma.
A Croque Madame is the same type of sandwich but with a fried or poached egg placed on top.
Note: The Croque Monsieur could also use an egg however the difference between the two sandwiches has to do with how the egg is incorporated into the rest of the ingredients. In a croque monsieur, the bread can be dipped into a beaten egg before it’s cooked (French toast-style). In a croque madame, meanwhile, the egg is cooked and then placed on top of the already assembled sandwich.
Fondue Recipe
Ingredients
Baguette Bread (cubed) – Juicy Steak (cubed) – Potato Wedges – Gruyere, Raclette or Alpenkase Reserve (3 cups, grated) – Dry White Wine (1.25 cups) – 1 teaspoon of Cornstarch – 1 Clove of Garlic – Splash of Lemon Juice – Brandy (if desired) – Freshly Ground Pepper
Instructions
- Rub pan with clove of garlic.
- Pour wine and lemon juice into the pan and turn on the heat.
- Add cheese, a handful at a time, while stirring.
- Add corn starch with maybe some brandy if desired.
- Once fondue comes to a boil it should be ready. Add pepper to taste.
- Dip cubed pieces of baguette bread, small squares of juicy steak and/or potato wedges into your mixture of melted Gruyere
