iChef
06-25-2008, 02:29 AM
A jewel in the rough has been discovered recently. My jewel-in-a-toque Sous Chef has been telling me about this dish for sometime and it was time to confirm its existence.
Croque-Monsieur (http://www.irasciblechef.com/thats-crispy-mister-to-you-bub/)or as they say on the streets, Crispy Mister, is a fancy French hot ham and cheese sandwich. However, when done right the Croque-monsieur isn’t just any grilled ham and cheese sandi you might have had before. All Croque-Messieurs are not created equal—I’m just saying that there are Crispy Mister makers out there and there are Crispy Mister hacks out there—caveat Epicurea…
Okay, I get it, but what actually is a Crispy Mister? Well, to start with Croque-monsieur, literally translated into English, which just happens to be my particular quirky preference, is Croque = Crispy and monsieur = Mister. Now, for what makes this delicate delight dance: two slices of bread, ham, Gruyere cheese, butter, and béchamel sauce. Knowing what the ingredients are and preparing them so they dance in your mouth are two very different things indeed.
Crispy Mister
(By the way the amount of fat and calories in this sandwich are anything but delicate: half the daily requirements of calories and more than the daily requirements of fat and cholesterol—Yikes! I didn’t say you have to eat one every day!)
Where can you get the outstanding version of this classic Crispy Mister you ask?
There are several restaurants in Silicon Valley including Cafe Brioche in Palo Alto, whose Croque-Monsieur was disappointing—I didn’t realize how disappointing or the potential of this sandi until we visited Fleur de Cocoa in Los Gatos, California. Fantastico! Master Chef Pascal Janvier is at the helm, but not only at the helm, he mans the oars as well! And you can watch him in action through the open door to his kitchen. Without going into the exact recipe of Chef Janvier’s Crispy Mister I will tell you my visual and flavorful experience. Sliced into two triangles, one offset on top of the other, wonderfully browned béchamel coating both halves, with a warm ham and gooey Gruyere cheese filling waiting to be asked to dance. Maybe a hint too much nutmeg, almost not worth mentioning, only the most seasoned of palettes might notice, but might also prefer it that way.
Fleur de Cocoa is a small sit-down café that makes a heck of a cappuccino—reminded me of Italy—no easy task, cakes, tartes, pastries—a chocolate almond croissant was sampled to our delight, chocolates—which weren’t sampled, but definitely will be returned for, maybe instead of lunch… They did have a tarte special with caramelized onions and grilled artichoke hearts, which reminds me of a dish I used to make at the Long Pond Inn under the tutelage of chef Vicky Zeph that I must try to see how chef Janvier does with that…
This is a must go to café!
iChef (http://www.irasciblechef.com/)
Croque-Monsieur (http://www.irasciblechef.com/thats-crispy-mister-to-you-bub/)or as they say on the streets, Crispy Mister, is a fancy French hot ham and cheese sandwich. However, when done right the Croque-monsieur isn’t just any grilled ham and cheese sandi you might have had before. All Croque-Messieurs are not created equal—I’m just saying that there are Crispy Mister makers out there and there are Crispy Mister hacks out there—caveat Epicurea…
Okay, I get it, but what actually is a Crispy Mister? Well, to start with Croque-monsieur, literally translated into English, which just happens to be my particular quirky preference, is Croque = Crispy and monsieur = Mister. Now, for what makes this delicate delight dance: two slices of bread, ham, Gruyere cheese, butter, and béchamel sauce. Knowing what the ingredients are and preparing them so they dance in your mouth are two very different things indeed.
Crispy Mister
(By the way the amount of fat and calories in this sandwich are anything but delicate: half the daily requirements of calories and more than the daily requirements of fat and cholesterol—Yikes! I didn’t say you have to eat one every day!)
Where can you get the outstanding version of this classic Crispy Mister you ask?
There are several restaurants in Silicon Valley including Cafe Brioche in Palo Alto, whose Croque-Monsieur was disappointing—I didn’t realize how disappointing or the potential of this sandi until we visited Fleur de Cocoa in Los Gatos, California. Fantastico! Master Chef Pascal Janvier is at the helm, but not only at the helm, he mans the oars as well! And you can watch him in action through the open door to his kitchen. Without going into the exact recipe of Chef Janvier’s Crispy Mister I will tell you my visual and flavorful experience. Sliced into two triangles, one offset on top of the other, wonderfully browned béchamel coating both halves, with a warm ham and gooey Gruyere cheese filling waiting to be asked to dance. Maybe a hint too much nutmeg, almost not worth mentioning, only the most seasoned of palettes might notice, but might also prefer it that way.
Fleur de Cocoa is a small sit-down café that makes a heck of a cappuccino—reminded me of Italy—no easy task, cakes, tartes, pastries—a chocolate almond croissant was sampled to our delight, chocolates—which weren’t sampled, but definitely will be returned for, maybe instead of lunch… They did have a tarte special with caramelized onions and grilled artichoke hearts, which reminds me of a dish I used to make at the Long Pond Inn under the tutelage of chef Vicky Zeph that I must try to see how chef Janvier does with that…
This is a must go to café!
iChef (http://www.irasciblechef.com/)