Croque Madame, S’il vous plait
Such a fancy name for a such a simple sandwich. In short, this is a dressed up grilled cheese. How dressed up, you ask? Well, more dressed up than church on Sunday. More dressed up than the night you anticipate being proposed to over a candle-lit dinner. We’re talking dressed up for Senior prom where you have been nominated for Prom Queen, and your boyfriend (the quarterback) is up for King. This is a special sandwich.
When I went to France in high school I was less inclined to embark on culinary adventures. We dined at The Hark Rock Cafe, and I even ate lunch at McDonalds…more than once. In Paris! Crazy. I know. Let’s blame it on me being a naive teenager. Let’s also blame that purchase of raspberry cigarettes on naivety. Moving on…
One day for lunch, famished from a morning visit to the Louvre, some friends and I stopped at the first cafe we saw. Using some of my French food vocabulary I saw “croque-monsieur” on the menu and knew that a French grilled cheese with ham was something I could definitely enjoy. A French version of fast food. Warm, grilled bread, melted cheese and sweet & salty ham. You cannot go wrong with this choice.