A Healthier Croque Monsieur (Believe It Or Not!)--Barefoot Bloggers

I really think I could have a full time job, living in Ina's barn and following her around, just slashing the fat and calories from her recipes. I am sure I could add years to Ina and Jeffery's lives by just some simple substitutions that still taste great. Case in point, the Croque Monsieur, selected by Kathy of All Food Considered, I swear my arteries hardened just reading the recipe. Now I am by no means a perfect healthy cook and eater; I have my indulgences as well as my slip-ups, and I even enjoy the occasional grilled cheese sandwich, but something about slathering it in full fat butter, cheese and milk, just seemed to put it over the edge for me and the way I have been trying to eat lately. Also, I really enjoy the challenge that Ina's delicious recipes give me to make them lighter, while still keeping the great taste and as much within the "spirit" of the recipe as possible. In this case, that meant not giving up the decadent  "ooey-gooeyness" factor of Ina's recipe, but still making it a much healthier choice. 

I was stumped for a bit with this one, but I was flipping through the latest Clean Eating Magazine and found a recipe for Clean Mac 'n' Cheese by Devin Alexander. Having caught her Healthy Decadence show on FitTV a few times, I find her to be a bit perky and chirpy for my taste but she has some great ideas for cutting fat and calories from comfort-style food. In this case she makes the base for the Mac 'n' Cheese sauce out of non-fat milk and brown rice flour, which thickens well and doesn't have a gritty aftertaste and there is no butter needed. She also used a light Swiss Cheese, combined with low-fat Cheddar to make the sauce rich and cheesy. I thought I could take her ideas and adapt them for this sandwich. For my sauce, I decided to use 2/3 non-fat Swiss and 1/3 of the Gruyere, Ina's recipe called for. I subbed out the ham and added some Applegate Farms Organic Turkey Breast (I used the smoked one to get a more similar flavor to the ham), and used a multi-grain boule bread, with the crusts left on, (I like a good chewy crust!), and added some peppery arugula to get something green on there. Finally I made one sandwich for portion control and cut the total amount of cheese and cheese sauce on the sandwich down a bit. My changes are in red below and the taste test and the calorie/fat savings verdict are in the Notes/Results section. 

You can find Ina's recipe in the Barefoot in Paris cookbook (pg 48) and at the Food Network site, here.

(A Healthier) Croque Monsieur
Barefoot in Paris, Barefoot Contessa
(Makes 4-8 Servings)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter (omit)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (substitute brown rice flour)
2 cups hot milk (non-fat)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch nutmeg
12 ounces Gruyere, grated (5 cups) (use 1/3 Gruyere and 2/3 Non-fat Swiss Cheese)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
16 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed (multi-grain sourdough boule with crusts)
Dijon mustard
8 ounces baked Virginia ham, sliced but not paper thin (substitute smoked turkey breast)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. 

(Cheese Sauce Ina's way): Melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan and add the flour all at once, stirring with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Slowly pour the hot milk into the butter–flour mixture and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thickened. Off the heat add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, 1/2 cup grated Gruyere, and the Parmesan and set aside

(Cheese Sauce my way, adapted from Devin Alexander, Clean Living): Put rice flour in a small bowl and slowly whisk in enough milk to form a paste. Then add remaining milk, whisking as you do, making sure that no lumps remain. Place a medium, non-stick saucepan over medium heat and add flour-milk mixture. When milk is warm, add all grated cheeses and stir quickly and frequently with a wooden spoon until the cheese is completely melted and incorporated, the mixture begins to thicken and is warmed through. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg, set aside. (Note: If sauce should happen to separate, place in a food processor  or blender and process until smooth and combined, then place back in pan and finish warming).

To toast the bread, place the slices on 2 baking sheets and bake for 5 minutes. Turn each slice and bake for another 2 minutes, until toasted.

Lightly brush half the toasted breads with mustard, add a slice of ham (or two slices turkey) to each, and sprinkle with half the remaining Gruyere (Gruyere/Non-fat Swiss combo). Top with another piece of toasted bread. Slather the tops with the cheese sauce, sprinkle with the remaining Gruyere (cheese combo), and bake the sandwiches for 5 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the topping is bubbly and lightly browned. Serve hot.

Notes/Results: Deliciously decadent. The cheese sauce was thick, rich, creamy and very cheesy. The bread was chewy and good and I even managed to put 2 ounces of turkey in the sandwich, instead of the 1 oz of ham Ina's recipe called for, still for less calories and fat. In fact when I did a quick tally of both the calories and fat from the meat and cheese, (not knowing exactly what bread Ina used, I left it out of the equation), I found I shaved over 80 calories from each sandwich and more importantly well over half of the fat. That's enough for some guilt-free chocolate indulgence later! (I like to save my fat/calorie splurges for my favorite things). Even served with a simple salad, it did not feel like a "light' dinner and if I didn't mention the changes I made, I doubt anyone would ever suspect I was giving them a lightened up version. Although it has been awhile, I have had a couple Croque Monsieurs before, and I think this one was just as good. (It always helps to start with a good base recipe which Ina always provides). Although it was still so rich that I don't think I would make it often, it was a really yummy sandwich. I only wish the pictures turned out better. I was more interested in eating my sandwich hot, than plating it and getting a good shot!

Thanks Kathy for a great pick! I really had fun experimenting with this one and was very happy with how it turned out. You can see how the other Barefoot Bloggers liked this recipe at the BB site here.