petit croque monsieur

Jus d'orange, dejeuner, steak frites, and of course croque monsieur were just a few of the vocabulary from a typical French cafe menu I was taught back in my high school French class. To be completely frank, I probably lost all but minimal ability to form a complete sentence in French, but would you be surprised if I told you that I still remember these words? Yes, food has a special place in my heart, and apparently mind, because just like my limited French vocabulary, my Chinese reading skill is also predominantly confined to a menu. The way I see it, what can be more important than being able to order a plate of food to comfort your growling stomach? Not much.

So there should be no surprise that I was glad to see a take on the classic French sandwich in the cookbook. Though it is generally a simple ham and cheese sandwich, Martha Stewart, as usual, puts a nice and somewhat fancier spin on it. And as usual, I put my own spin on it with the ingredients I already had and were able to find at the local supermarket. I swapped out the white bread for my healthier 100% whole wheat. With all that butter and Gruyere, I couldn't help but make a healthy substitution. It won't cancel out all that fat, but hopefully it will help a little bit.

With shelling out extra dough for the Gruyere, I just had to buy regular smoked ham that was on sale to save my wallet from even more damage. I added some freshly cracked pepper right on top of the ham layer to add the pronounced peppery bite it lacked compared to Black Forest. The sandwich was akin to an adult version of grilled cheese, with saltiness from the ham, robust nuttiness from the Gruyere, and slight sweet crispiness from the pears. One note: just make sure to serve this straight from the pan since the all the butter and cheese will coagulate once cold.

Petit Croque Monsieur adapted from Martha Stewart

makes 8 sandwiches

3 tbsp unsalted butter
3 small ripe but still firm Forelle pears, 1 cut into 1/4-inch dice, and 2 sliced vertically into 1/4-inch thickness
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
8 slices wheat bread, crusts removed
5 tsp Dijon mustard
8 slices smoked ham
8 thinly sliced Gruyere cheese
freshly ground black pepper

In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tbsp butter. Add the diced pears and cook, stirring, until just tender, 1 to 2 minutes, depending on ripeness. Increase the heat to medium-high, sprinkle with sugar, and cook until golden brown and caramelized, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the balsamic and swirl the pan until the liquid is absorbed. Removed from the heat and transfer to a plate to set aside.

Melt 1 tbsp butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Working in batches if necessary, add the pear slices and cook until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Set aside.

Using the remaining 1 tbsp butter to spread over one side of each slice of bread. Flip the slices over and spread the other side with mustard. Slice the bread in half diagonally. Assemble each half sandwich, butter-side facing out, with 1 slice of ham folded to fit, 1 slice of cheese folded to fit, and slices of pears to fit.

Working in batches, cook 2 sandwich halves at a time over medium heat until the cheese is melted and the sandwich is golden brown. Garnish each half with 1 tsp of the diced pears.