All eyes will be on France as the Paris 2024 Olympics kicks off on July 26.
While the athletes will be carefully watching their diets to maximise their performances, the rest of us can celebrate the Games by indulging in a bit of Parisian cuisine.
“France has an exciting summer ahead and I am looking forward to seeing our lovely French culture shine,” says home cook and author Manon Lagrève, who comes from Brittany and was a quarter finalist in the 2018 series of The Great British Bake Off.
“When I think about Paris, I think about the time when I lived there, eating a ‘formule du midi’ lunch or a croque monsieur on a terrace at a café, simply living ‘la belle vie’.”
According to French newspaper Le Monde, the croque monsieur is a classic Parisian dish – first served in 1910 in a cafe on the Boulevard des Capucines.
“The thing about French food is that it is all about elevating simple dishes using basic seasonal ingredients. I grew up watching my mum and grandmas cooking mostly everything from scratch in their farm kitchen, and today I do the same in my London kitchen,” says Lagrève.
“I still make that croque monsieur, adding some truffle Boursin for that extra ‘je ne sais quoi’, which takes me back to the feeling of dining on a Parisian terrace.”
Truffle Croque Monsieur recipe
Ingredients:
(Makes 4, or serves 8 as small bites)
1 large sourdough bread, thinly sliced
100g Boursin Truffle
100g salted butter, softened
200g champignon de Paris mushrooms, thinly sliced
4 slices of Serrano ham (or Parma ham)
Ground pepper
For the vinaigrette (to make a jar):
3tbsp red wine vinegar
1tbsp salt + 1tbsp pepper
1tbsp wholegrain mustard
5tbsp virgin vegetable oil
4tbsp olive oil
2tbsp water
For the croque sauce topping:
20g butter
20g plain flour, sieved
250ml milk
1tsp of Dijon mustard (optional)
50g Truffle Boursin
Mixed leaves to serve
Method:
1. In a large pan, cook the champignon de Paris for five minutes until softened and set aside.
2. To make one croque monsieur, take two thin slices of the bread and butter each side. Add a quarter of the Boursin (you can use a fork and a bowl to soften it before spreading) on top of both slices, top one slice with a quarter of the mushrooms, a slice of Serrano ham and close the croque monsieur with the other Boursin buttered slice.
3. Bring the same pan to medium to high heat and place the croque in the middle. Cook for three minutes on each side or until golden, using a spatula to push it down and cook thoroughly.
4. Slice in two (or in four or six if served as bites).
5. To make the sauce topping, heat the milk in a small pan. Meanwhile melt the butter in another pan and stir in the flour until cooked through and paste-like in consistency. Gradually add the warm milk to the paste a little at a time, whisking continuously.
6. Once you have a thick sauce remove from the heat and stir in 50 grams of the Boursin and the mustard if using.
7. Spread the sauce over the top of the croque monsieur, crumble over some of the remaining Boursin and grill until bubbling and golden. Serve with the salad and vinaigrette that you’ve put together in a jar.
