Monday, October 5, 2015

croque monsieur pie



Ahhh, the famous croque monsieur.

I watched Ina Garten make this scrumptious baked ham and cheese sandwich several years ago. She made them with such ease that I knew I had to share them with my family.  

It's humble ingredients of ham and bread are dressed up with tangy Grey Poupon and creamy bechamel sauce . . . and then topped with nutty Gruyere cheese. It's baked in the oven until it's cooked through and the Gruyere cheese is brown and bubbly.  It's so delicious!




Years later, I saw Rachel Ray make croque monsieur pie! 

Until watching her show, I had always made them individually . . . but what I love about making them in a casserole dish is that you can make enough for a crowd - QUICK. So it's great for a FAMILY DINNER . . . and BRUNCH for a crowd!

Rachel Ray baked her croque monsieur in a casserole dish, but I LOVE baking mine in a cast iron skillet because I think the crisp edges are extra scrumptious.




I had to take a few close-up photos, so that you could see the layers of yummy goodness.

The creamy . . . and slightly tangy . . . bechamel sauce makes every layer moist and flavorful. The salty ham and nutty flavor from the Greyere add just the right balance . . . making this one amazing dish!





It's definitely a cozy Fall-favorite for our family . . . and I hope that your family enjoys it, too!



croque monsieur pie
.     .     .     .     .     .     .
3 tablespoons butter, plus more for greasing
12 thin slices stale or fresh white bread, crusts trimmed (1/2- to 3/4-inch thick)
12 thin slices mild ham
2 round Tablespoons flour
2 cups whole milk
Freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard, plus more for serving
*I prefer to use 1 Tablespoons Dijon 
3 large eggs
8 ounces Gruyere or Swiss cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
Finely chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Mixed greens dressed with lemon juice and vinegar, for serving
.     .     .     .     .     .     .

Preparation
Grease a casserole dish and line with 6 slices of the bread. Top with half of the folded ham.




Melt the butter in skillet over medium heat, add the flour and whisk 1 minute. Add 1 1/2 cups of the milk and some nutmeg, and then season with salt and pepper. Cook to thicken, the sauce should coat the back of a spoon. Stir in the mustard. Spoon half of the thickened bechamel evenly over the ham, top with the remaining 6 slices bread.


Whisk up the eggs and the remaining 1/2 cup milk, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the eggs evenly over the casserole dish and then add the remaining ham and bechamel.




Top with the gruyere, then cover and store for a make-ahead meal.


When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and bake the casserole from room temperature until golden and firm, 30 to 35 minutes. Cut the casserole into squares and serve garnished with finely chopped parsley and mixed greens dressed with lemon juice and vinegar.
Pass additional mustard at the table.
courtesy Rachel Ray





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30 comments:

  1. Oh-YUM! I think I have all these ingredients in my kitchen right now :). I'm going to try these this week. BTW-I made your pumpkin spice cookies and they were such a hit. You never steer me wrong ;)

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  2. Genius! I've been known to stand at the stove for half an hour at a time, just flipping grilled cheese sandwiches!

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  3. Drooling! Never heard of the name of this. So making it soon!!! Yea for comfort food.

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  4. What a great idea- I love savory pastries!

    I stopped by from Talented Tuesdays!

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  5. Croque Monsieur is my very favorite thing on the planet Suzanne, I can't wait to try this!!!!!
    Jenna

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  6. Oooooh, this looks delicious! Thank you for this great recipe!

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  7. I am already planning a brunch with at least 4 people. If I made this recipe and it was just hubby and I -- well, I'd be a little (big) glutton and eat the whole thing. Wow!! does it ever look delicious. I love the idea of crunchy crust of cheese and Gruyere is so yummy. I've already pinned it and printed it. I want to make sure it is ready!! Have a great evening!! Big Hugs!!

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  8. Can you make this up the day before and store in fridge to cook on Thanksgiving or Christmas morning?

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    Replies
    1. Hi Joanne!
      Absolutely! Just be sure and bring it to room temperature before baking. Enjoy!

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  9. Well now you've made me hungry. And that dish would fit the bill perfectly. I can just imagine how it tastes.

    Thanks for sharing the recipe -- that is going on my 'to make soon' list for sure.

    Brenda

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  10. Oh, my! I just looove this recipe! Thank you so much for sharing. xxx Maria

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  11. Yummy! Looks so delicious! I love Ina Garten recipes. This one I'm definitely going to try one day. Pinning for later.

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  12. I love that you've made this in a cast iron skillet! I'm pinning to try. I love Croque Monsieur and in pie form...that sounds even yummier!

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  13. Ummmm, holy mother. This is what food dreams are made of!!!

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  14. This looks amazing! My oven is preheating as I type! I put it together this morning, and now we're having it for lunch after church. I'm so excited. I didn't want my son to have his friend over so there would be more food! LOL! I did let him come over though. :-) Is there a place to print out the recipe? I didn't notice a recipe card anywhere. I'd love to have this one on hand.

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  15. I love croque monsieurs, what a fantastic idea to make them in a casserole, this looks amazing, I love all that gorgeous melted cheese on top! This is one of my favorites from What'd You Do This Weekend? and will be one of my features at tomorrow's party :)

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  16. I just found your blog & these delicious recipes. Can you give us a recipe to print out all of your recipes, please? They all look & sound so amazing.
    Thank your, Cookie

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  17. I don't even want to know the nutritional data for this.....yikes!

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  18. Why don't you have the recipe printable. Very disappointing. Would love to make this, but not going to hand write it.

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    Replies
    1. Why cant you just highlight the part you want to print and then right click and hit print?

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  19. Wish the recipe was condensed, if I print I get all these pic's. Thanks

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    Replies
    1. Just click on them and back space and make them disappear

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  20. What size pan do you cook this in? Also, approximately how much fresh grated nutmeg???

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  21. I copy the entire instructions, including pictures, then paste in a word document. Then I go thru it and condense the pictures and then print (front to back). Saves a lot of paper.

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  22. You have given me some great ideas, so thanks for that. I am not a big fan of eggs, so I may take it down to one, use evaporated milk to thickened it up in place of the other eggs and maybe some cornstarch. I have Jewish Rye in my freezer and leftover ham, and the cheese in the cheese drawer, so I am ready to go here. I prefer rye with my ham and cheese so I guess I will have to rename this. But, for one person this is a great idea, I can cook it them cut a slice out to reheat. This is one of those "Why didn't I think of that" things.

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    Replies
    1. With Jewish Rye, rather than white bread, call it "Croque Adon." ("Adon" means Mister in Hebrew.)🙂

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  23. I love that, so the ham then becomes "Pink Chicken"?LOL! I worked for some Jewish folks and that's what they called ham.

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  24. Can this be frozen and cooked at a later time? 🤔

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  25. What brand ham slices did you use? Looks very tasty!

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