French Cooking 101 - Croque Madame

Well its been too long since I last blogged.  Summer schedule, kitchen renovations, and other hindrances have taken over.  But no more!  Time to get back blogging about yummy restaurants and great recipes!  I'm almost to 100 blogs!!

You are gonna just love this!  It is a french version of a ham and cheese that is unbeatable!  This sandwich can be served two ways.  A Croque Monsieur (without a fried egg on top) or a Croque Madame (with fried egg).  Go for the egg!! 

It is typically served on thick white bread but I used Publix's multigrain which was excellent for this.  For this sandwich you make a bechamel sauce (milk, butter, and flour) which is harder to spell than to make.  Add some Gruyere cheese (french swiss cheese) and now you have mornay sauce.  This is a french classic not to be feared.  Great for breakfast, lunch, or supper!

Croque Madame

Sliced loaf of bakery bread (white or multigrain)
4t Dijon mustard
1lb shaved ham
1 1/2 c shredded Gruyere cheese (find in the deli section)
5T butter (plus some for griddling the sandwiches)
3T AP flour
2c milk
1/8 t nutmeg
salt/pepper

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and whisk in the flour.  Cook for just about 30 seconds to remove the raw flavor of the flour.  Whisk in the milk removing any lumps.  Add 1/2c of the cheese, nutmeg, and then salt/pepper to taste.  Set aside.  (By the way, any leftover sauce can be refrigerated and used again)  Make four sandwiches dividing up the ham and cheese.  Add mustard to one slice of breach and the sauce to the other slice.  Griddle the sandwiches in butter until nice and toasty.  Place the sandwiches on a cookie sheet and top liberally with the sauce.  Put under the broiler until bubbly and browned.  Fry an egg to top each sandwich.

French Cooking 101 - Beef Bourguignon

This is the first installment of a series of classic French recipes that I want to try.  Usually my recipes are quick and simple but this little adventure may take me to some recipes that are more difficult.  I decided to start out with the iconic Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon.  Of course I did make some changes to suit my preferences.  This became a wonderful beef stew that I would definitely try again but it didn't live up to the high expectations I had put on it to be the best thing I would ever put in my mouth. 

Beef Bourguignon

6 slices of thick cut bacon, cut into strips
3T olive oil
3 lbs lean beef, cubed into 2 inch pieces (I used a round roast)
1/2 c sliced carrots
1 sm onion sliced
salt and pepper
2T flour
3c red wine
3c beef broth
1T tomato paste
2t chopped garlic
1/2t thyme
1 bay leaf
3T butter
1lb quartered cremini mushrooms
Rice or noodles

Saute bacon in oil in large dutch oven.  Remove bacon from oil once crisp and save.  Pat meat dry with paper towels and brown in batches in oil and bacon drippings and set aside with bacon.  Brown the vegetables in the oil.  Return the meat to the pot and toss with salt, pepper, and flour.  Without lid on pot,  place in oven at 450 for 5 mins.  Toss meat and return to oven for another 4 mins.  Reduce oven heat to 325. Remove pot from oven and stir in wine and enough broth to just cover the meat.  Add tomato paste, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf.  Bring to a simmer on stove top, cover return to oven at 325.  Simmer pot in oven 3-4 hrs until meat is very tender.  Saute mushrooms in butter and add to pot before serving.  Serve over rice or noodles.