Croque Monsieur

I have been a Croque Monsieur fan from the first time I sampled this seriously simple yet oh so delicious dish. At the crux of it, it's a ham and cheese sandwich, but my-oh-my is it so much more than that!

If you've never had one, it's a toasted sandwich with a heck tonne of white sauce as well as cheese which essentially makes it all the more gooey, delicious, cheesy - yet not really as the cheese sauce doesn't actually have any cheese in it itself.

I cannot wait for you to try this. It's heaven. The stuff of dreams and the perfect super simple and do-able thing to feed to 'vegan cheese sceptics' that think us plant munchers have to miss out on all the fun.

Ingredients

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 small/medium onion, finely diced
• 2 tbsp plain flour (you can use GF if need be)
• 2 tbsp grapeseed (or light tasting) oil, or vegan butter
• 1 tsp vegetable stock powder
• 1 cup unsweetened soy milk
• the cream out of 1 x 400g tin coconut milk, that has been chilled for at least an hour
• pinch of nutmeg
• salt & pepper
• vegan butter
• bread of choosing (makes enough for around 8 slices of bread - aka 4 servings)
• vegan ham
• tomato slices
• vegan cheese shreds

Method

1. Pre-heat your oven to it's highest heat on the oven/grill setting.
2. In a non-stick saucepan, or fry-pan (up to you), add the tsp of olive oil, garlic and onion, sauteing until soft and lightly browned.
3. Add the flour, 2 tbsp of oil and vegetable stock powder, mixing with a wooden spoon for a minute or two, until the flour coats everything and cooks off a little. Be careful not let the flour burn, by stirring constantly.
4. Next add the soy milk, in a couple of stages, whisking to incorporate after each interval (3 stages is what I did) until all of it is added to the roux. Add the coconut cream and whisk in until smooth.
5. Turn the heat down to medium, and whisk until the mixture thickens and becomes that luscious white sauce you've been hoping for. It should only take a couple of minutes. Turn off the heat and add the nutmeg and a generous pinch of salt & pepper.
6. Line a baking tray, get out your bread slices, vegan ham, vegan cheese and tomato slices. Build up your Croque Monsieurs, by buttering the underside of the bottom piece of bread, then add your ham/tomato on top of that slice. Spoon onto of your sandwich filling some of the white sauce followed by a little sprinkle of vegan cheese, then add the other piece of bread on top of that to create your sandwich. Finish with another spoonful of the white sauce, and sprinkle with vegan cheese.
7. Cook your Monsieurs in your preheated oven for 5-10 minutes, or until golden and the cheese on the top is bubbling away. Enjoy immediately honeybunches!! These are great with a light salad for a lunch or brunch with loved ones.