At its core, a croque-monsieur is a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. Here, I’ve kept that basic combination intact using Black Forest ham and smoked Gruyère cheese, adding whole-grain mustard and roasted garlic aioli as condiments in lieu of béchamel sauce and some arugula for a touch of peppery-tasting color. Grilled on ciabatta, it’s not your everyday ham and cheese – but perhaps now it will be! NOTE: This is a great way to use leftover ham! Want to see how this recipe was created? Check out “In Search of M. Croque”.
1 ciabatta roll, halved lengthwise
Olive oil
Whole-grain Dijon mustard
Roasted garlic aioli (available in speciality stores, or try this recipe from Dean & Deluca
Arugula
2 slices smoked Gruyère cheese
2 slices Black Forest ham
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat panini grill to medium-high heat (375 degrees).
Drizzle olive oil on cut sides of bread halves. Turn the halves over and spread Dijon mustard on one half and roasted garlic aioli on the other. On the flat bread half, layer arugula, a slice of cheese, the ham, and the other slice of cheese. Add the other piece of bread (olive oil side up) to form the sandwich.
Grill for 5-7 minutes until crisp golden grill marks appear on the bread and the cheese is melted. Cut sandwich in half crosswise and enjoy!
Panini Pairings (what are these?)
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