What a Croque!

I suppose I should have mentioned in my previous post that it is impossible for me to eat French onion soup without a Croque Monsieur. I mean, does this sandwich scream "hell yeah I'm in Paris" or what?? You can find this tasty little creation at any French cafe, usually served with a side of pommes frites (in the interest of not gaining a ridiculous amount of weight, I usually opt for a green salad). I don't know what it is about the ham and cheese sandwiches in France, but they are unlike anything I have ever tasted before. If you don't believe me, simply ask my husband, who ever so kindly and patiently indulged my requests for "un sandwich avec jambon e fromage" every. single. day. we were in France. I also think the butter has something to do with it. But I digress, I'm getting way off topic here. When I decided to make the French onion soup a few weeks ago, I knew I had to find a good croque monsieur recipe. Let me tell you, this is not easy. It's so much more than just slapping a piece of ham and a slice of whatever cheese is leftover in your fridge on the nearest piece of bread. I recommend using a good quality ham (I'm partial to Virginia) and as this recipe recommends, shredded Gruyere cheese. The result is heavenly, and you'll never look at a ham and cheese sandwich in a sub shop the same way again.
Source: Cooking Light, January 2010

Ingredients:

• 1  tablespoon  whole-grain Dijon mustard
• 1  tablespoon  fat-free mayonnaise
• 8  (1-ounce) slices Italian bread
• 6  ounces  thinly sliced ham
• 1  cup  (4 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2  cup  egg substitute
• 1/4  cup  fat-free milk
• Cooking spray

Directions:

1. Combine mustard and mayonnaise in a small bowl.

2. Spread 3/4 teaspoon mustard mixture over each of 4 bread slices; layer each slice with 1 1/2 ounces ham and 1/4 cup cheese.

3. Sprinkle evenly with pepper. Spread 3/4 teaspoon mayonnaise mixture over each remaining bread slice; place, mustard side down, on top of sandwiches.

4. Combine egg substitute and fat-free milk in a shallow dish.

5. Dip both sides of each sandwich into the egg mixture.

6. Heat a large nonstick griddle or skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add sandwiches to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned and cheese melts.