#BrunchWeek ~ Mini Croque Monsieurs

Welcome to day 4 of Brunch Week. I'm glad to have you here and excited to share another fantastic brunch recipe with you. These delicious miniature sandwiches are quick to assemble and would make a terrific addition to any brunch buffet!

See my kick-off post for the rafflecopter information - there are TONS of great prizes, so make sure to enter!

These sandwiches are very mild in flavor and very, very cheesy! The cheese sauce is rich and decadent and these would be great with a salad and / or some fresh fruit to lighten them up a little bit. Having them in small bite sized sandwiches helps with the heaviness of the cheeses.

Two notes from when I made these - I thought 1 TBS of Dijon mustard per sandwich sounded like way too much originally and cut it down closer to about 2 tsp per sandwich, but would recommend leaving it at the full TBS (or at least 3/4 of a TBS) since pretty much all the real flavor comes from the mustard with the mild ham and cheese sauce complementing. Also, depending on the type of Parmesan cheese you use you likely will not need to add salt to the cheese sauce. I used the jarred grated Parmesan and found that to be plenty salty without adding any - however if you use fresh grated you may want a touch of salt.

BrunchWeek Beverages:

• Aperol Cocktails by Jane's Adventures in Dinner
• Grapefruit Rosemary Mocktails by Sweet Beginnings
• Teh Tarik (Malaysian Pulled Tea) by Tara's Multicultural Table

BrunchWeek Breads, Grains and Pastries:

• Homemade Crumpets by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Apple Cinnamon Scones with Salted Caramel Drizzle by Family Around the Table
• Cannoli French Toast by Cooking In Stilettos
• Cinnamon Cobblestone Bread by My Catholic Kitchen
• Orange Popvers by The Chef Next Door
• Pretzel Bagels with Roasted Jalapeno Cream Cheese by The Texan New Yorker
• Strawberries and Cream Sweet Rolls by The Redhead Baker

BrunchWeek Fruits, Vegetables and Sides:

• Apple Fritters by The Suburban Soapbox
• Blueberry Salad with Green Onion-Poppy Seed Dressing by Love & Confections

BrunchWeek Egg Dishes:

• Caramelized onion, Bacon, and Cheddar Egg Tart by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Breakfast Quesadillas with Bacon and Cheesy Eggs by Casa de Crews
• Chorizo Egg Breakfast Skillet by Brunch-n-Bites
• Crab Souffle by A Day in the LIfe on the Farm
• Picante Omlette Pie by Feeding Big and more
• Slow Cooker Ham, Cheese, and Veggie Breakfast Casserole by Rants From My Crazy Kitchen

BrunchWeek Main Dishes:

• Curried Fish Tacos by Nik Snacks
• Ham and Mushroom Strata by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Mini Croque Monsieurs by Making Miracles
• Roman Breakfast Sandwich by Palatable Pastime
• Strawberry Chicken Salad by The Barbee Housewife
• Spiced Marinated Lamb Lollipops by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

BrunchWeek Desserts:

• Gluten Free Citrus Pastries by Gluten Free Crumbley

Mini Croque Monsieurs adapted from Big Bears Wife

Ingredients

6 slices of somewhat firm white bread (I used Cobblestone Bread Co. Million Dollar White Bread)

5-oz of smoked gruyere cheese sliced thinly into about 12 slices

3 thick slices of ham (or about 4 slices of thinner cut lunchmeat)

2 - 3 tablespoons Dijon Mustard

2 tablespoons butter + additional for brushing onto bread

2 tablespoons flour

1 ½ cups milk

Salt (may not be needed) and pepper
dash of freshly grated nutmeg (optional)

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Lay the sliced of bread on a baking sheet.
3. Brush both sides of all pieces of bread with a little bit of melted butter (about 1 - 2 TBS total).
4. Once the oven is preheated, toast the slices of bread for about 3 - 4 minutes per side (more if needed, bread should be lightly golden brown). Watch closely so bread doesn't burn.
5. Remove the bread from the oven and spread on the mustard evenly between all 6 slices. Top 3 of the slices with 2 pieces of cheese, ham, another 2 slices of cheese and a top slice of bread.
6. Cut each sandwich into 4 pieces.
7. In a sauce pan, over medium to medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in the flour until smooth and golden colored; allow to cook for about 1 more minute (reduce heat as necessary so roux doesn't burn).
8. Slowly whisk in the milk and raise the heat just a little; whisk until the sauce starts to thicken. Once it starts to thicken, remove it from the heat and add the Parmesan cheese, nutmeg, salt (if using), and pepper to taste. Whisk until the cheese melts and sauce is smooth.
9. Spoon the sauce evenly over the tops of the mini sandwiches. 
10. Put the tray into the oven for about 6 minutes to allow gruyere cheese to melt. Turn the broiler on and broil the tops for about 2-3 minutes or until the cheese sauce is hot, bubbly, and starting to brown. Be careful not to burn the bread. Serve warm.

Disclaimer: Thank you to #BrunchWeek Sponsors: Red Star Yeast, Dixie Crystals, Cabot Cheese, Vidalia Onion Committee, Sage Fruits, Nielsen-Massey, KitchenIQ, and Le Creuset for providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for #BrunchWeek. All opinions are my own.