In 1910, the first Croque Monsieur appeared on Parsian café menus. Rumor has it that French workers left their lunch pails by a hot radiators and came back later to discover the cheese in their sandwiches had melted. True or not, the birth of a hot ham and Gruyère cheese sandwich was created. It was culinary ingenuity that took it to the next level – take that bland hot sandwich and sauté it in butter until it turned crispy and golden brown.
How to Make Croque Monsieur
Move over grilled cheese, this crunchy sandwich is scrumptious and highly addictive. The Croque Monsieur hits all the right notes – saltiness from the melty cheese, smokiness from the ham, and the buttery crunch of the bread offset by the creamy béchamel. These culinary delights are delicious anytime, anywhere. If you’re one of the lucky few planning a Paris city break, make an effort to find a Croque Monsieur while in the vicinity; your taste buds will thank you for this flavorful experience.
It’s all about the basics – a good quality French loaf of bread (not baguette), good Greyère cheese, and a cured ham, like Columbus Salumi.
[tasty-recipe id=”17976″]
In response to consumer desire for minimally processed, pre-sliced meats that taste great, Columbus Foods has launched the Farm to Fork® Naturals™ line. A producer of premium specialty meats since 1917, Columbus is expanding its already wide array of offerings with seven new products, all minimally processed with no added nitrites or nitrates, and made from hogs and turkeys humanely raised on family farms.
For more information, visit Columbus Foods.com
Farm to Fork Deli Meat
These deli meats are made from whole turkey breasts, lightly seasoned and slow-roasted to perfection. Flavors include:
- Oven Roasted Turkey Breast, slowly roasted to golden perfection
- Honey Roasted Turkey Breast, our oven-roasted turkey with a touch of sweet honey
- Smoked Turkey Breast, slowly roasted and smoked with natural hickory wood
Farm to Fork Salame
Made with 100 percent pork, the line’s salame offerings include some of Columbus’ most popular recipes:
- Uncured Fennel Salame, prepared with fennel seeds, sea salt and fresh garlic
- Uncured Genoa Salame, a blend of cracked pepper and fresh garlic
- Uncured Italian Dry Salame, a complement of spices and full-bodied wine
- Uncured Sopressata Salame, mixed with flavorings of sweet fennel, peppers and red wine
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It’s the 12 Days of Giveaways! On the 11th day, A Taste of Koko is giving away a Columbus Salame gift basket.
Columbus Salame has generously offered my readers a chance to win a basket of artisan salame in an attractive wooden case.
To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment below with your name & email and tell me: What is your favorite deli meat or salame?
You can earn up to 4 extra entries by:
– Tweet about the giveaway (it’s easy, just click here!) and leave the link to your Tweet in the comments.
– Fan A Taste of Koko on Facebook. Leave a separate comment below that you have done so.
– Follow A Taste of Koko on Twitter. Leave a separate comment below that you have done so with your Twitter handle so I can follow you back!
– Follow A Taste of Koko on Pinterest. Bonus points if you pin any images from this blog post!
(Extra entries can only be counted if left as a separate comment – your comment # is your entry.)
Good luck!
The fine print:
– Giveaway ends at 12:01am (Texas time!) on January 15, 2013
– Winner will be selected by random number generator.
– Prize must be claimed within 7 days or it will be forfeited.
– Winning “extra entry” comments can be subject to verification.
– This giveaway is sponsored by Columbus Foods.
– Prize can only be shipped to a U.S. address.
