Croque Monsieur - Baked Open-Faced French Ham and Cheese

 Croque monsieur is another one of those things that I'm always hearing about on TV but have never actually tried before.  It's a traditional oven baked French sandwich that is open faced with a basic white bread and layers of bechamel, cheese, and ham.

This weekend I finally decided to try my hand at making this dish for breakfast since I had two of my closest friends over.  I also made the traditional pain de mie to make the bread with.  I used this French recipe http://www.marmiton.org/recettes/recette_pain-de-mie_33705.aspx.

Procedure:
1. Melt butter over medium low heat.  Add in minced garlic and sautee gently for 30 seconds - 1 min, or until you start to smell a light garlic scent.

2. Add in flour and stir with a whisk until homogeneous.

3. Add in the milk and seasoning and stir with whisk.

4. Raise heat to medium and stir constantly until bechamel is thickened like a gravy. (about 7 mins or so).

Bechamel Sauce - From Michel Roux's Pastry
1 TB butter
1/4 cup of flour
1 cup of milk

Sandwich Ingredients:
6 slices of bread
12 slices of quality deli ham
2/3 cup white cheese (mozzarella, provolone, or the traditional Gruyere)
1 clove of garlic, minced
a pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Sandwich Procedure:
1. Spread each slice of bread with an even layer of bechamel sauce
2. sprinkle an even layer of cheese over the bechamel
3. put a slice of ham on the bread (if it hangs over the side, trim it because otherwise it will dry out during cooking)
4. Cover the ham with an even layer of bechamel and sprinkle another even layer of cheese.

5. Allow to bake until the cheese is fully melted and the bread has a chance to toast.

6. Switch the oven to broil and broil for 1-2 minutes, or until the cheese is is speckled with golden brown.

7. Remove from the oven, serve and enjoy :).

Notes:
This sandwich is traditionally made with pan de mie, a basic French sandwich bread, but regular white bread will do.

Some people also do this sandwich using two slices of bread, with the final slice covered with a layer of bechamel and cheese

Photo:
http://www.odelices.com/recette/Croque-monsieur-a-la-bechamel-au-four-r1806

References:
http://www.marmiton.org/recettes/recette_croque-monsieur-a-la-sauce-bechamel_20410.aspx
http://www.marmiton.org/recettes/recette_pain-de-mie_33705.aspx

Best Ever Fluffy Pancakes!

Everyone wants that perfectly fluffy pancake in the morning.  I've found tall and fluffy pancakes, but they were never quite right--one recipe was too spongy, the other wasn't thick enough, and the other was missing that nice chewiness to it.  Finally, I've happened upon a recipe that was perfect!  Better than the restaurants perfect!  Try it and see for yourself!  This recipe makes flavorful pancakes that are tall and fluffy with just the right amount of chewiness that makes them stand up nicely to syrup.  You may not be able to resist eating these delicious pancakes before you even get the chance to pour some syrup over them.  Mmmm mmm mmm!

Enjoy :)!  The only change that I made is that I added 2-3 tsp of vanilla.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/fluffy-pancakes-2/

Amazing Fluffy Roasted Banana Bread

*See the yummy banana chunks?*

I just made the most amazing banana bread I've ever had!  The texture is soft and fluffy instead of being that typical, almost excessively dense and sticky banana bread.  What's more, using chunky mashed bananas instead of puree leaves you with wonderful, flavorful chunks of banana in the finished bread.  The banana flavor is intensified by roasting, and the palm and demarara sugars give this bread such an amazingly rich flavor that you don't even need cinnamon or other spices!  Who knew?!  Take that coming from a total cinnamon freak.  The rum also aids in intensifying flavor and it, along with the yogurt, create a soft, silky texture.  I also topped the bread with some coarse demarara sugars and that created a nice crunch on the top of the bread, yum!

Whether you love banana bread or aren't all too crazy about it, I'm telling you, try this recipe!  It really is amazing!  It is infinitely better than the old school recipe.  Plus, who can complain when the process for making it is so simple and the reward is oh so great?!  Do tell me how you like the recipe or any changes that you make.  Enjoy :)!!

Roasted Banana Bread


Ingredients:
1/2 cup palm sugar (in the jar--microwave until just softened, if necessary) (if in a solid block, grate first)*
1/2 c demarara/turbinado sugar* (my favorite brand is Florida Crystals)
1/2 cup of butter, softened
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
4 unpeeled bananas, roasted and mashed coarsely
1 TB yogurt or sour cream
2 TB dark rum (my favorite is Barbancourt, Haitian rum)
1 TB vanilla
2 cups + 1 TB flour
3 tsp baking powder

*If you do not have palm sugar or demarara sugar, just use all regular Domino brown sugar.  The taste will be different, but still delicious.

Procedure:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2. Roast the bananas on a baking sheet while still inside the peel.  When roasting, the peel will brown and you may hear some mild hissing from some of the banana juices seeping out.  Do not be alarmed by this; it is normal.  Allow the bananas to cool.  Remove the peel and the threads.  Mash the banana by hand, leaving the mixture full of small chunks

3.Cream the sugars, salt, and butter with an electric mixer.

4. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated

5. Stir in the yogurt, rum, and vanilla.

6. Stir in the flour and baking powder just until the batter is moistened and all ingredients are fully incorporated.

7. Bake in a prepared pan for 1 hour or until the bread springs up when pressed in the center. Do not use the toothpick test for doneness with this recipe.  When done, the bread will be golden brown on the tops and sides, and the sides will pull away from the side of the pan.

8. Allow to cool for at least 10-15 minutes before serving.

References: http://danicasdaily.com/brown-sugar-banana-nut-bread-recipe, http://doesnttaztelikechicken.com/2009/03/22/the-amazing-banana-bread/, http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giadas-weekend-getaways/flours-famous-banana-bread-recipe/index.html

On a side note, sorry for the lack of photos lately.  My computer's SD drive is malfunctioning, and it has already damaged one of my memory cards.  Would anyone happen to know how to repair memory cards that show up with a read error when inserted in the camera itself?

Warm, Rich, and Comforting Winter Favorites

There are so many wonderful dishes that I love to enjoy in the winter time.  There's just something about a good, rich, hearty, comforting meal in the winter that just warms that soul and gives you that warm, fuzzy feeling.  I wanted to take the time to compile a list of some of my favorite winter dishes for those days when you're not quite sure what you want, but you know you want some good comfort food to warm you up when it's freezing outside.  I hope you enjoy this selection of recipes for comfort foods that are especially good when enjoyed in the winter.

Savory
Warm, comforting Cuban garlic soup  

Rich and creamy tomato soup

Nicaraguan chicken soup with meatballs (sopa de gallina con albóndigas)  

spaghetti alla carbonara  

Southeast Asian carmelized sweet and spicy pork

Dominican fish in coconut sauce

Cuban tamal soup

Sweet

Rich, moist, chocolaty devil's food cake

Rich, fudgey brownies 


Chewy, sweet, salty, and crunchy toasted Korean stuffed pancake (hodduk)