Croque Monsieur with a Smokey Mornay Sauce

Today is National Sandwich day and seeing as the inventor of the sandwich was an earl, a basic PB&J just wasn't going to cut it. I think the Earl of Sandwich would be proud of my decision to showcase the classic French Croque Monsieur, kicked up with a smoky and sweet twist for fall. The Croque Monsieur is a ham and cheese sandwich on steroids. It's taken to a whole new level with the addition of a Mornay sauce. A traditional Mornay is made by adding cheese, usually parmesan and gruyère to a classic Béchamel sauce. I'm not the biggest fan of gruyère and opted for using an applewood smoked white cheddar instead. This sauce gives the sandwich a cheesy, gooey goodness that oozes out with each delectable bite.

Since the cheddar was smoked with applewood, I also thought sliced apples would give a nice, sweet crunch and bring out the flavors of fall. Choose a firm and sweet variety with just a touch of tart. I chose the Honeycrisp variety. Granny Smith and Pink Ladies would also be great and hold up to the heat of the panini press.

If you are making several for a group, keep the cooked panini's on a cookie sheet lined with foil, in a warm oven set to 150°F.

I love making these sandwiches for a small dinner party or luncheon. It brings everyone into the kitchen to watch the fun presentation and the smell is out of this world. Serve with a balanced and lighter bodied red wine such as a Pinot Noir.

Croque Monsieur:

You will need:

1/2 loaf of thick cut sourdough bread
1/2 lb. ultra thin sliced, brown sugar glazed ham
3/4 cup dijon mustard
1 cup thinly grated smoked cheddar
1 cup finely grated parmesan
2 apples, cored and sliced into 1/4" slices
panini press
1/2 cube of melted butter
*Smoky Mornay Sauce

Assembly:

Heat the panini grill to medium-high heat.

Brush dijon mustard onto the inside of each slice of bread.

Reserve 1/2 a cup of each cheese variety for the mornay sauce below. Sprinkle a pinch of cheddar over each slice, on top of the mustard.

Top one side with apple slices, layer ham next, then drizzle with two teaspoonfuls of the Mornay sauce.

Fold the slices together and brush butter on the outside of the bread.

Place the sandwich, butter side down onto the grill. Butter the top and sprinkle with parmesan.

Carefully press down the top of the grill, making sure the sandwich presses down flat and doesn't slide.

Cook for about 5-7 minutes until pressed and toasted. Serve whole, or slice on the diagonal. You may serve with additional Mornay sauce for dipping, or with a side of butternut squash soup or salad.

*Smoky Mornay Sauce:

Ingredients:

3 Tbs. butter
3 Tbs. flour
2 cups milk
1/8 tsp. white pepper
1/8 tsp. salt
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/2 cup smoked white cheddar or gruyere

Directions:

 Melt the butter over medium saucepan, over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook for approx. two minutes, making a blonde roux. Slowly whisk in the milk, white pepper, salt and nutmeg. Cook stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and whisk in the cheese, one handful at a time until cheese is melted and sauce is thickened and smooth. Use now, or cool and cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for several days.

Use the leftover sauce to top veggies or as a white sauce for pasta. Add a little Cajun chicken and broccoli for an amazing smoky alfredo.

Grilled Corn on the Cob 3 Ways

The epitome of summer, to me, is picking up that first fresh, sweet corn on the cobb, dripping in butter and sinking my teeth in for that satisfying crunch as the kernels pop in my mouth. I was lucky enough to grow up around local farmers, who hand-pick the sweetest salt and pepper corn I've ever tasted each day to sell at their roadside stands. This is a rarity in our modern world of fast-paced living and I love supporting our local growers and their families and getting to know them on a first name basis. It doesn't get better than produce so fresh, it's still covered in the soil it was growing in hours before.

Right now Utah is at our peak of the season, with fresh corn, melons, tomatoes and an endless bounty of other fresh veggies and fruit at our disposal. And although the corn is tasty enough to eat plain with a little salt and butter, I thought I would experiment with a few compound butters using fresh herbs from my own personal garden. The unique flavors marry well with the ethnic flavors of each cuisine and add an extra element of flavor to your overall dish making this side stand out from the crowd. Leave comments below and share any unique toppings or ways your family adds flavor to your corn. Enjoy!

Grilled Corn 3 Ways:

Prep/ Grill:

Preheat the grill to Med-High. Charcoal gives the best flavor, but gas is always a great option for convenience as well.

While the grill heats, shuck and thoroughly rinse your corn. Set rinsed corn aside in a colander to drain in the sink while you wrap each cobb in aluminum foil, making sure to wrap the ends and seal all sides. Don't completely dry the corn, as the added water will create steam to help cook the corn and keep it moist.

Place the wrapped cobbs on the grill, close the lid and cook for 5 minutes, rotate to the opposite side of each cobb and cook an additional 5 minutes. Open the grill and move each cobb to the top rack, or off of indirect heat if using charcoal. Lower the temp to medium heat, close the lid and let the corn cook an additional 10 minutes. At this point, unwrap a couple of cobbs to check for doneness and char lines. The corn should have a few blistered kernels and light browning. If you would like slightly more char, you may place the unfoiled cobbs over direct heat for 30 seconds a side until desired blistering. Set the cooked corn aside into a large, glass baking dish and cover the top with foil to keep the heat in while adding the toppings. Working each ear one at a time, generously spread the compound butter over the ear and roll the remaining toppings around the outside just before serving. Butters below:

Italian

Pesto butter: 1 cube of butter, softened and 1/2 C of pesto, blended until smooth.

1 C. finely grated parmesan cheese for garnish.

Place the parmesan in a scooped dish large enough to roll your corn in. Slather each hot ear of corn, fresh off the grill with the pesto butter and roll in the parmesan. You may still choose to sprinkle with a little fresh cracked pepper, or drizzle with a bit of extra virgin fine olive oil before serving.

Mexican

Fiesta butter: 1 tsp.chili powder, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, 1/4 tsp. cumin,  1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper 1 cube of softened butter, blended until smooth.

Chopped cilantro, lime & crumbled cotija cheese for garnish.

Asian

Glaze: 3/4 C. Sweet Thai chili sauce, 1/2 C. hoisin sauce, 1/4 tsp. hot chili oil, blended.

Thinly sliced green onion, chopped cilantro, black sesame seeds for garnish.

Southern Style Cheat Ribs with Raspberry-Tobasco BBQ Sauce

First of all, I need to apologize in advance to all of the true blue BBQ pit masters rolling their eyes and clutching the pain in their chests when they see the word "CHEAT" next to their beloved "RIBS". I have so much love and respect for their fine art of true BBQ that takes years and sometimes even generations to master. This recipe is not a replacement to your talent, just an at home method for those of us not blessed enough to have a smoker available and a pit master to supervise.

 Nothing is better for a red-blooded American carnivore to devour, than a stack of Q'd meats piled high with finger licking sauce poured all over the top. It's messy, unapologetic and fills a carnal hunger buried inside each modern man. The vegetarians out there will surely skip this post. Let them eat their Tofu in peace and let's talk ribs for a minute.


I prefer beef ribs over pork. They are generally more tender and I prefer their flavor. Ribs are located between the chuck and the loin on the cow and account for short ribs, back-ribs, as well as rib eye steak, prime rib or stood up and presented in style in the form of a standing rib roast such as beef wellington.

That being said, this last Sunday was Father's Day, which was a perfect opportunity to fire up the grill and give Dad a manly meal of his favorite meats and foods. My family revolves around food. We all have our culinary niches and my Mom, sister and I often find ourselves in the kitchen cooking up a storm of love. We put out quite the spread as you can see below and for dessert we made amazing dark chocolate brownies.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 225 degrees.

Generously season your ribs with your favorite grill seasoning, spice rub or simply salt and pepper. My spice blend of choice is a blend of salt, pepper, brown sugar, paprika and onion powder.





 Place ribs, meat side down, in aluminum foil lined baking dishes, cover the top of the dish with more foil and place in the center rack of the oven.

 If you are using small baby back ribs, take them out after 3 1/2 hours. If you are using regular baby back, St. Louis style or pork ribs, then take out after 4 hours.

Drain off the drippings. Flip the ribs over using two wide spatulas, being very careful as they are very tender at this point, so the meat side is up.

 Preheat your grill using the Weber instructions for baby back ribs. Charcoal will give you the most authentic BBQ, smoked all day flavor.




Put a layer of the Raspberry-Tabasco BBQ sauce (recipe below) on the ribs and place the entire baking dish on the grill (indirect heat). As we have pre-cooked our ribs in the oven, you will only need to cook over indirect heat for 30 minutes to get a nice smokey flavor absorbed into the meat.




Remove from the grill, let the meat rest for 10 minutes and serve with a little extra sauce on the side.

Serve with your favorite BBQ sides. We chose rosemary potatoes, garlic corn and a Thai slaw that my sister made. And because it was Father's Day, more meat in the form of grilled steak.

Raspberry-Tabasco BBQ Sauce

1/2 bottle of BBQ sauce on the sweeter side. Sweet Baby Ray's is one of my favorites.
1 jar of Tabasco Pepper Jelly hot or mild depending on the level of heat desired.
3/4 C of Smucker's Red Raspberry Syrup

Mix together well and taste. Be careful to keep the sauce you are basting meat with in a separate container to avoid contamination. This sauce will save as long as the expiration date on the BBQ sauce label reads. No need to heat before use as the ingredients are already cooked. This blend goes well with a variety of meats and fish. Remember to use at the end of cooking (last 5-10 minutes) or on low heat, as there is a lot of sugar that will burn easily on a hot grill.

As you can see, this sauce is addicting. Once the ribs were on the table, I barely had time for a photo before they were devoured. Try this recipe out with your family. It's a great way to spend a lazy afternoon and get some quality time in together.

Enjoy!

 

Tropical Paradise Grilled Pineapple

Now that BBQ and grilling season are in full swing, I've been experimenting with grilled desserts. I came up with the idea for this light and tropical dessert after having grilled pineapple at a Brazilian steakhouse recently, which is one of my favorite treats. This version is so easy and will really wow your friends and family. 

Ingredients:

2 20 oz cans of pineapple rings

1 C dried coconut 

1 C dark rum 

1/2 C brown sugar

1 pint of Haagen-Dazs Pineapple Coconut Ice Cream (you may substitute vanilla) 

1 lime or a handful of key limes for garnish 

Bosco Sea Salt Caramel Syrup

In a large bowl, drain the pineapple juice from both cans. Mix in the rum and brown sugar until well combined. Layer the pineapple rings as shown above. Cover and soak for at least 6 hours, but the best flavor comes from soaking overnight. 

Use tongs to place the rings side by side on a hot grill. The rings brown quickly, so watch them carefully. Once grilled on both sides, place on a serving platter to assemble later.

Brown the coconut on a microwave safe plate. Microwave on high for 30 second increments, stirring after each increment for even browning. This will take about two minutes total. 

To assemble, place two rings on top of one another in the center of the plate. Top with a quenelle of ice cream right in the center. Drizzle with the caramel sauce and sprinkle with toasted coconut. Garnish with a thin quarter slice of lime and serve. This can be a fairly healthy dessert if you serve with frozen yogurt, or indulge in some creamy Haggen Daas Pineapple Coconut Ice Cream.