Zucchini Croque Monsieur

Zucchini Croque Monsieur

Croque Monsieur is a French sandwich which is usually made with ham and Gruyere and vegetable. I’m trying to make a vegetarian cook for CR and most recipes that I found had mushrooms in them which we do not eat either. So give a try do the zucchini Christmas here. Came out really well!

Ingredients for the stuffing 

• 2 cups finely chopped zucchini 
• 1 tbsp finely chopped Serrano 
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• Salt 

Ingredients for the sandwich

• 6 sets of sandwich Bread (12 slices) My kids like sourdoughs. So that’s what we use. 
• Dijon mustard (I used jalapeño mustard, since I ran out of Dijon)
• 1/2 cup gruyere cheese grated 
• Béchamel 
• Zucchini stuffing

Ingredients for the béchamel sauce 

• ½ cup butter cubed
• ½ cup flour
• 1 tbsp cream cheese
• 2 cups milk
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground/grated nutmeg
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 cup grated gruyere cheese
• 1/2 cup cheddar ( original doesn’t call for cheddar, but hey why not when it’s a riff)

Making the Béchamel sauce 

In a heavy bottom pot, melt the butter. Add the flour and whisk well to avoid all lumps! In a separate pot heat the milk until lukewarm. Gently pour in the milk into the roux, and whisk until smooth. Add the cheeses and whisk until melted.  Salt and pepper it. Set aside to cool to room temperature. 

Making the zucchini stuffing 

In a sauté pan, heat the oil. Add the Serrano chili and zucchini. Sprinkle with salt. Sauté well until the mixture almost turns into a jam, so it’s spreadable. 

 Making the sandwiches 

One the bottom bread, lightly spread some mustard. Then layer with with the zucchini jam. Add some shredded gruyere cheese. Spread béchamel on uthe inside of the top bread. 

You have the option to add more béchamel to the top of a sandwich. But felt it was a bit much. So we skipped that. Bake in oven (425F) for 12-15 mins. Keep a close eye. Elevations and humidity alter the baking. 

You can also cook it on a grill, which is what I did.