My French Food experiment (Part 3): Along with “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”

I made it through breakfast I have to admit, with quite a few dishes that needed to be dealt with but was not deterred since I was on a mission and rather excited to tackle my first soufflé.

A VERY French Lunch:Soufflé Au Fromage (Cheese Soufflé)

Mr. B. was very surprised when I told him I was quite nervous about this soufflé, he was shocked to hear that I had never made a soufflé before, sweet or savory. I always take risks when I entertain, trying new recipes on old and new friends, and I never really worry about things. In my house, there is always a frozen pizza in case of emergencies. I have never had an emergency but there have been many recipes I would never do again. The soufflé just seemed so intimidating-the falling, the egg whites, the last minute prep, etc. When I entertain I like to do a lot of prep ahead of time. Soufflés always seemed so last minute to me but the book notes many steps that can be done ahead of time. Actually the entire soufflé can be made ahead of time and just covered with a large pot for up to an hour!

The book illustrates what a soufflé pan should look like but as noted most American soufflé pans are not high enough. I looked around and I did have one that looked high enough but it was too small. I did not want to alter the recipe. I opted for my round Corning ware white set. I arranged parchment paper around the perimeter and tied it with a string. This took 15 minutes! Not sure if I am just THAT uncoordinated but I have just added a proper French soufflé pan to my birthday list. Since I KNOW I will be making soufflés on a regular basis. Out of the three meals of the day this was by far the easiest. I chose the basic Cheese soufflé because I wanted to try it in its unadulterated glory. I am not at all a fan of omelets. I am not sure if it's a texture thing or what but I would never choose to have my eggs that way. A soufflé is a whole different egg-sperience (sorry I had to get at least one in there, I am done now J). The book suggested you butter and sprinkle the dish with grated Parmesan cheese. This created a crispy crust all around. I am thrilled that I used the paper collar because the soufflé rose almost to the top of the collar. It was perfectly browned and yes it did fall fast. The saying that "you wait for the soufflé it doesn't wait for you" is right on spot. The only laborious part was the egg whites which went fast with the stand mixer.

Because we were eating so much in one day I did not serve it with anything but for guests for a lunch course a nice green salad would be perfect. The soufflé is for 4-6 people (which is what is suggested) and it came out amazing! It was so tender with the cheese sprinkled throughout. Perfectly seasoned. WOW! The next time I would like to try the spinach soufflé or maybe even chocolate! I obviously had leftovers and the next day I heated it up on the stove and served it over a piece of baguette (think Hayes Street Grill Stand at the Farmers Mkt on a Saturday).

I can now say I have achieved a perfect soufflé, not so sure I have "mastered" it but I am looking forward to my next one that's for sure!

Five recipes and 2 meals down!

Jusqu'à ce Soir…Until tomorrow…

Fancy French Sammie-the Croque Monsieur

I have yet to meet a person that doesn't love a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. Leave it to the French to "kick it up a notch" with the Croque Monsier (aka "The Crispy Mister"). Some people might think this is overkill for a ham sandwich but when its all put together this is a MEAL.

A little history… Croque Monsieur Sandwiches were first served in 1910 in the "Le Trou dans le Mur" café on the Boulevard des Capucines in Paris, across from the Café de la paix. [Larousse Gastronomique. 1988 English edition. Page 339.].

There are so many variations to this Sammie. Some add apples, or pears, different cheeses, breads, hams and mustards. The recipe below is a basic Croque Monsieur doctored up with some yummy béchamel. We often see the Croque Madame as an option on menu's. Here in the US it usually means an egg on top. Traditionally in France it means to substitute chicken for the ham.

Traditional CM's are fantastic for entertaining as an appie or the main course. Depending on which course it will be served at will dictate the bread. If I am serving as an appie I will use a good white bread, cut off the crusts, omit the béchamel if you want and cut it into 4 or 8 triangles. If you do 8 triangles stick toothpicks in them so people can just pop them in their mouth. I have yet to have any leftovers. If you are serving this as a main I pick a nice French bread (not a baguette). When prepping these in advance with the béchamel sauce first assemble the sandwiches and then cook the béchamel but be sure to cover the sauce with a piece of buttered wax paper. The paper must touch the entire surface of the sauce. It is best to reheat this over a double boiler. Serve this either with salad, your favorite soup or if you're feeling naughty, some fries!

Croque Monsier
4 sandwiches

 3 T butter
3 T flour
1 C milk
2 T Parmesean Reggiano grated
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Salt/pepper
8 slices of bread
16 slices of Black Forest Ham thin sliced
2 1/3 Cups Gruyere shredded
Dijon Mustard

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
   
2. To make béchamel sauce: In a small saucepan on low heat, melt butter until foamy. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly with a flat sauce whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes. Slowly add milk and nutmeg to saucepan. Whisking constantly, bring to a simmer; continue cooking until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in Parmigiano and 2 tbsp grated Gruyère. Reserve.
   
3. Lightly and evenly butter bread slices on both sides and toast both sides in sauté pan over low heat until just golden brown.
   
4. Spread one side of each toasted slice with mustard.
   
5. Evenly place the ham slices and about ½ cup Gruyère cheese on four of the bread slices.
   
6. Top each with one of remaining bread slices, mustard-side down.
   
7. Spread béchamel sauce to cover the top of each sandwich (crusts, too).
   
8. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining Gruyère cheese.
   
9. Place on oven-safe sheet pan and bake 5 minutes at 350 degrees, then place under lit broiler until cheese mixture on top is bubbling and lightly browned, about 3 minutes