Perfect Recipe

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.

Ham and Cheese Tart

Ingredients:

Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
6 tbsp butter, cold and in pieces
1 egg yolk
1/3 tsp salt
4 tbsp cold water

Filling:
200g cup natural yogurt
300g heavy cream
4 eggs
3 tbsp parmesan cheede, grated
200g ham, chopped
200g mozzarella cheese, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 tsp oregano
1/4 cup olives, pitted

Directions:

Crust:
Preheat oven 350°F. Blend flour and salt in processor. Add butter; using on/off turns, cut in until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the water and egg yolk. Process just until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Roll out the dough and cover the bottom and sides a greased 8,7 inch round pan.

Filling:
In a mixing bowl, using a hand-held mixer or a whisk, combine eggs, heavy cream, yogurt, salt and parmesan cheese together until mixed well. With a spoon, add the ham, mozzarella cheese, olives and oregano. Pour the filling over the crust. Bake for 45 minutes, or until is golden brown.

Ham and Cheese Roll

Ingredients:

Dough:

15g fresh yeast
1 tbsp sugar
1 cup worm milk
2 eggs
2 tbsp margarine
Salt
4-1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Filling:

100g ham chopped
100g mozzarella chopped
1 tomato chopped
Oregano
Olives
Cream cheese

Egg wash
Parmesan cheese

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in sugar. Add the milk,eggs, margarine, salt and the flour, mix together and beat until smooth and allow to rest covered for 1 hour or let rise until doubled. After turn out the dough onto a floured surface and roll into several rectangles(size of your choice). Spread the filling over the dough and roll up. Place, on a greased baking sheet and let it rise again till doubles. When dough is ready, brush top with egg wash and sprinkle some parmesan cheese.
Bake in preheated oven at 180ºC/350ºF for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm.

Hungarian Salty Slices

Ingredients:

Fermentation:

25g active fresh yeast
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup warm milk (110 to 115 degrees F)
1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Dough:

1/4 cup warm water
75g butter in room temperature
100g mashed potatoes
1 large egg
1 tsp salt
350g all-purpose flour

Filling:

150g chopped cooked ham
150g mozzarella chopped
100g olives chopped
150g cream cheese
2 tbsp dry parsley or oregano chopped
Salt, pepper and parmesan cheese to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF.
In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in sugar. Add the warm milk and the fermentation flour, mix together and allow to rest covered for 15 minutes or let rise until doubled. Add the rest of ingredients and beat until smooth. Stir in enough flour to form soft dough. Turn out dough onto a floured surface and roll into a 16 x 12 inch rectangle. Spread the cream cheese and the rest of the filling over the dough.
Roll up and cut into 1 inch rounds. Place, on a greased baking sheet and let it rise again till doubles. When dough is ready, brush top with egg wash and sprinkle some parmesan cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm.