Croque Monsieur Ham and Cheese Sandwich
Makes 4 sandwiches.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups milk
A pinch each of salt, freshly ground pepper, nutmeg, or more to taste
6 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (about 1 1/2 cups grated)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (packed)
8 slices of French or Italian loaf bread
12 ounces ham, sliced
Dijon mustard

Directions:

1 Preheat oven to 400°F.

2 Make the béchamel sauce. Melt butter in a small saucepan on medium/low heat until it just starts to bubble. Add the flour and cook, stirring until smooth, about 2 minutes. Slowly add the milk, whisking continuously, cooking until thick. Remove from heat. Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir in the Parmesan and 1/4 cup of the grated Gruyère. Set aside.

3 Lay out the bread slices on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven, a few minutes each side, until lightly toasted. For extra flavor you can spread some butter on the bread slices before you toast them if you want.

(Alternatively, you can assemble the sandwiches as follows in step four and grill them on a skillet, finishing them in the broiler with the bechamel sauce.)

4 Lightly brush half of the toasted slices with mustard. Add the ham slices and about 1 cup of the remaining Gruyère cheese. Top with the other toasted bread slices.

5 Spoon on the béchamel sauce to the tops of the sandwiches. Sprinkle with the remaining Gruyère cheese. Place on a broiling pan. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes, then turn on the broiler and broil for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, until the cheese topping is bubbly and lightly browned.

Grandma’s Milk Pudding

Ingredients:

4 eggs
2 cups of sugar
1 cup of all-purpose flour
50g parmesan cheese, grated
2 cups of milk

Syrup:
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of hot water

Directions:

Place 1 to 2 inches of water in a roasting pan. Place the pan in the oven and preheat to 350°

Syrup:
Put the sugar in the ring mold. Place the mold directly over medium heat. Keep turning the mold until the sugar melts into a golden brown caramel and spoon it up the sides of the mold. Be careful not to burn the sugar and yourself. Add the hot water and mixture with a spoon.

Pudding:
Beat the eggs and sugar until light and smooth. Combine the rest of the ingredients and beat slowly. Pour this mixture into the mold and place it in the center of the roasting pan with water. Bake the pudding in water bath for about 1 hour and 30 mins, it will turn golden brown on top and start separating from the sides of the mold or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let it cool to room temperature and place in refrigerator, preferably overnight (at least 6 hours).
Just before serving, run the tip of a knife around the inside of the mold. Place a deep platter over the mold and invert: the pudding should slide out easily.

So, this is the list, I advise you to test all the recipes…hehe…and also the others that aren’t on the list and I are delicious, like the Outrageous Brownies, the Guava Biscuits, the Brazilian Honey Bread, the Yogurt Cake, the Cherry Muffins with Crumb Topping … that is, all the other recipes…haha.

Enjoy,
Pam