Day #50, #21-Croque Monsieur

Today I had the #19- Croque Monsieur for dinner. It is made with Jambon de Paris French ham, and Swiss Gruyere cheese, with a sour cream and Gruyere cheese sauce, on grilled Challah bread.

The name, Croque Monsieur, means "Mr. Crunch" in French, and this is the only truly "french" sandwich on our menu. It's a very popular sandwich in France, and ours is very comparable, only much larger than those served in France.

Gruyere cheese is a hard, yellow cheese, made from cow's milk, and named after the Gruyere's in Switzerland. The cheese is sweet, but slightly salty, and it's flavor varies with ageing.

I had never heard of this type of Swiss cheese until I came to work at the Laundry. I've never been that big of a fan of Swiss-style cheese, however, I can usually handle Gruyere.

Although I never eat ham, this sandwich actually smelled surprisingly good! I found out today that ham is actually something that I almost-like, and can definitely handle. The ham and gruyere combination goes great on grilled Challah. I really like this bread grilled anyway, and it's a favorite of mine because it is so soft.

If you are going to eat at the Laundry, I think this sandwich is a must try, especially because it is a truly French-style sandwich. It was really different from any other sandwich that I have tried so far!