I am nonchalantly trying to introduce my kids to classic French dishes that many people consider the most divine culinary treasures.
As long as these recipes do not take hours of work in the kitchen, I am more than happy to make them for my kids – whether they eat them or not.
As you probably know, the French like their cheese, which makes it hard for Molly, 10, to appreciate many of these dishes. Luckily, Emma, 12, is an adventurous eater and truly enjoys many of the finer things from other cultures.
Clay, 8, goes along for the ride, not pretending to like what he doesn’t, and as long as he is hungry, he usually will at least try new foods. He doesn’t always like them, and would almost always choose a corndog if offered, but he is trying.
I decided to make a croque monsieur. Similar to a grilled ham and cheese sandwich, the French version is draped with a cheese sauce and broiled. It is served in bistros and cafes throughout France and loved by children as well as adults.
Emma helped assemble the sandwiches while Molly started with the sauce. She melted some butter in a pan, then added a little flour, cooking the mixture for a few minutes while whisking.
Clay helped by pouring in the milk, which caused sputtering and almost instant thickening. They needed some help whisking because the sauce needs consistent mixing to prevent lumps. We added a handful of cheese, along with some seasoning.
Emma cut the crusts off the sourdough bread, smeared a tiny bit of Dijon mustard on each slice, then put some good ham and grated Gruyère between each sandwich.
I melted a little butter in a heavy skillet, then sauteed the sandwiches until golden on each side. We placed the sandwiches onto a sheet pan, spooned a few tablespoons of cheese sauce on top of each, then broiled them for a couple of minutes. They looked fabulous.
As expected, Emma and I loved our croque monsieurs. Clay enjoys a good grilled cheese, so the sandwich was a hit, but the sauce was not his favorite. Molly, well, she stuck with salad that night.
mpoitras@discoveryspeed.com. Margery Reed Poitras is a former professional chef who now cooks for her kids and occasionally for the more mature palate.
Croque Monsieur
Yield: 4 sandwiches
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for grilling
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
Salt and pepper, to taste
Pinch nutmeg
12 ounces Gruyère, grated
8 slices good bread, crusts removed
Dijon mustard
½ pound good, sliced ham
Method:
In saucepan, melt butter over medium heat and add flour. Whisk until bubbly, 3-4 minutes.
Slowly add milk, whisking constantly, until sauce is thickened. Add salt, pepper, nutmeg and ½ cup grated Gruyère and set aside.
To assemble sandwiches, lightly smear 1 side of bread with mustard, add a slice of ham, sprinkle with some Gruyère, then add the other slice of bread.
In a heavy skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter, then saute sandwiches until golden brown on both sides. Place on a sheet pan and drizzle the tops with cheese sauce.
Turn on broiler and when hot, place sandwiches under broiler for 3 minutes, or until bubbling and browning in spots. Serve immediately.
