Salami Croque Monsieur

I love France. I love the weather, the fashion, the people , and most importantly the food. French people get food. They make flavourful food, and spent the time enjoying it. I may have caused a few French strokes with my bastardised version of their classic ham and grilled cheese sandwich.

I love a traditional croque monsieur, with ham and whacking slices of freshly made bread. But, needs must, and sometimes you want an indulgent sandwich with just the ingredients in the cupboard and fridge. 

Truth be told, I was pretty keen to make my own bread, but I didn’t have time. So I substituted in the thick granary bread, and decided to spice things up Italy style, with some strongly spiced sliced meats instead of the ham. You would be perfectly welcome to slice up some sourdough and use ham instead of pepperoni/salami.

I had mine with soup. And I was so happy.

Ingredients

• 15g butter
• 15g flour
• 225ml milk
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 75g grated cheese, I used a mix of cheddar and  Mexicana
• 6 slices of bread
• Few slices of pepperoni and salami

Makes 3 sandwiches

Method

Preheat oven to 190 degrees.

Begin by making the roux. Melt the butter, and when foaming slightly, stir in the flour briskly.

Terrible photo, because it's really hard to make a roux and take photos at the same time

Keep whisking for about a minute, then take off the heat and whisk in the milk, about 75ml at a time, making sure all is incorporated between each addition.

After one addition of milk

Return to the heat, and let simmer and thicken for 4 minutes. When you have a nice spreadable béchamel, take off the heat, and stir in most of the cheese and the mustard.

Arrange your bread on the plate, spread the top part of one slice with the sauce, then place your chosen meat thinly on top. I chose pepperoni and salami for a spicy twist.

Spread a small amount of béchamel ontop and then place another slice of bread on top and cover that with another layer of béchamel.

Sprinkle with cheese, cook in the oven for 10-15 minutes until bubbling and browned on top.

Slice, eat and indulge.

Dat ooze.