Croque Monsieur Burger

#ad This is the second in a series of posts I am doing for Omaha Steaks gourmet burgers.  Initially, I had a bit of writers block for a recipe idea for this pork and bacon burger.  To me the challenge to develop compelling ideas for this burger series is to really highlight the uniqueness of the burger itself.  I had a lot of fun with this idea ultimately.  I hope you like what I think is a very playful, very messy idea for this burger.

Croque Monsieur Burger

A Croque Monsiuer is a traditional French sandwich made with hearty bread and filled with ham and cheese and finished off on top with more cheese and a bechamel sauce.  It always looks so cool because the sandwich is finished off under the broiler.  I researched the origin of the sandwich and learned that this sandwich appeared on Parisian cafe menus around 1910.  Croque Monsieur translates into “Crispy Mister.”  Originally thought to simply be a hot ham and gruyere sandwich.  Somewhere along the line, a chef thought to add butter and crisp the bread up in the pan.  Someday later, a chef decided to make this a super rich sandwich and added the bechamel.

I think you are now getting the idea.  Instead of the ham, I thought this pork and bacon burger would be a great substitute.  It took me a long time to come up with this idea and I went through a lot of ideas that I decided not to use.  This Croque Monsieur Burger is so rich.  I could not just use one cheese, so I used two.  I made an additional play on the burger meat with the cheese.  I used a smoked gruyere and a cheddar.  The smoked cheese is such a good compliment for pork.  To finish it off, I added the bechamel. This sauce is truly over the top.  Again, I think this sauce owes its roots in this recipe to my love of Cajun food.  Making a roux thickens the milk when added to really bring out the richness of this recipe.

With all this cheese and the béchamel sauce, this Croque Monsieur Burger is definitely messy.  I think you can try and pick it up for the first bite but I suggest, you just give in, and start with a knife and fork.  As for the flavors, this is a very rich sandwich.  The pork and bacon and the béchamel are each rich.  The burger, however, makes this sandwich eat more like a meal.  I used a hearty Italian bread which is very similar to French bread in how it is made.  I toasted the bread first to make it sturdier so it would stand up to the burger, cheese and sauce.

Croque Monsieur Cheeseburger

2015-02-18 03:08:15

Serves 2

A spin on the traditional croque monsieur using an Omaha Steak gourmet pork and bacon burger

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Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

20 min

Total Time

25 min

Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

20 min

Total Time

25 min

Ingredients

1. 2 tablespoons butter
2. 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
3. 1 cup whole milk
4. 4 slices firm french sandwich bread
5. 1 tablespoon grape seed oil
6. 2 Omaha Steak pork and bacon burgers
7. 4 ounces sliced Gruyère cheese
8. 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
9. 1 tablespoon melted butter

Instructions

1. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk. Increase heat to medium-high and boil until sauce thickens, whisking constantly, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Preheat broiler. Place 2 bread slices on a baking tray and cook until the bread browns. Remove from oven and set aside.
3. Heat a skillet on medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of grape seed oil.
4. Add the burger in a skillet and cook approximately 4 minutes per side.
5. After flipping the burger to the second side, top with the sliced gruyere and 1/2 of the shredded cheddar cheese and cover the skillet with a pan top. Cook for 2 more minutes to get a good melt.
6. Add the cheeseburger to the bread.
7. Spoon the bechamel sauce to the top piece of bread.
8. Add grated cheddar cheese over the bechamel.
9. Return to the Broiler and cook until the cheese begins to brown, about 2 minutes.
10. Serve and enjoy!

Feed Your Soul Too http://www.feedyoursoul2.com/

Omaha Steak Burger with Smoked Paprika added

 Burger Flipped.

Burger Flipped

 Cheeses Added to Burger.

Cheeses Added to Burger

Roux Started.

Roux Started

Cream & Smoked Paprika Added.

Cream & Smoked Paprika Added

Sandwich Assembled With Bread.

Sandwich Assembled With Bread

Bechamel Sauce Added.

Bechamel Sauce Added

Cheese Added.

Cheese Added to Bechamel

Plated.  

Plated