Today was a low key end to the weekend. It was grey and drizzly much of the day. Brunch (at home). A longish walk with the dog. Some cleaning and, of course, Sunday meal prep.
Croque Madame
We are both missing our favorite weekend brunch, Montmartre. And not just the food, though the food is indeed wonderful. But also the ritual of going there, saying hello--with recognition--to the staff. Our routine beverages and food orders. The low-key neighborhood cafe feeling of it all. Sadly, we can't create the social atmosphere of brunch at home.
But it turns out that I can make a darn good Croque Madame, with a few additions and substitutions. Sourdough instead of a country white bread. I added a few tablespoons of leftover caramelized onions and a dash of nutmeg to the bechemel (a win!). And the ham on hand was rosemary flavored, which actually was quite wonderful in this application. Loosely following this NYT recipe, I made and seasoned the bechemel, stirred in the onions, and spread some of the creamy goodness inside of each half of the bread. I piled on a good helping of grated gruyere, and layerd few slices of ham. Then buttered the outside and griddled it like a grilled cheese. When it was toasty and gooey, I smoothed a bit more bechemel on top, and topped it with a beautiful fried egg and sprinkle of parsley. It was truly indugent, delicious, and on a whim from the remnants in the fridge. A great start to the day--despite Jeff giving me a work mug on a weekend day. Ha.
Snack: Bean Taco
This afternoon, we learned that termites are back for the spring, when we discovered what felt like hundreds of termite swarmers in the downstairs bathroom. Highly unpleasant, and very triggering for me: we had a hellish pantry moth infestation one summer in Boston that cost a lot of money and food. Sigh. As scheduled, about 40 minutes later, the swarm was over, and it was an excellent reminder to have the pest folks out to spray for the spring. Message placed. After clean up, and after I had regained my appetite, we had a quick afternoon snack of bean tacos with slaw before settling in to cooking for the week.
Sheet Pan Sausages and Brussels Sprouts with Honey Mustard
This one was suggested by my good friend Julie K; they've been on a New York Times recipe kick. We felt it was promising, but it was clear to us that the particular ingredients really matter. I used a Trader Joe's bratwurst that was disappointingly low on flavor. Next time, I'll try a different sausage. I had a bit of minced shallot left from cooking other things, so we added that to the honey mustard before slathering it on for the final roast, and were glad about that. I also added a splash of IPA to thin it out so that the mustard would spread more easily. Next time, I'll be sure to use Grey Poupon in the sauce-- we added a little once it was on our plates, and it really perked things up over the less-pungent choice I made. I'd say: go for your very strongest mustard here!
This evening we also made several more dishes, and will share details later in the week: Ratatouille, Lentils with Kielbasa and Mirepoix, and Moroccan chicken thighs. Jeff was in heaven with all the chopping (keep your eyes peeled for many very even cubes!), and I'm sincerely looking forward to these as the week rolls on. I also had some extra eggplant that I hope to cook in a Chinese black bean sauce at some point. But tonight? I was pooped!
Croque Madame
We are both missing our favorite weekend brunch, Montmartre. And not just the food, though the food is indeed wonderful. But also the ritual of going there, saying hello--with recognition--to the staff. Our routine beverages and food orders. The low-key neighborhood cafe feeling of it all. Sadly, we can't create the social atmosphere of brunch at home.
But it turns out that I can make a darn good Croque Madame, with a few additions and substitutions. Sourdough instead of a country white bread. I added a few tablespoons of leftover caramelized onions and a dash of nutmeg to the bechemel (a win!). And the ham on hand was rosemary flavored, which actually was quite wonderful in this application. Loosely following this NYT recipe, I made and seasoned the bechemel, stirred in the onions, and spread some of the creamy goodness inside of each half of the bread. I piled on a good helping of grated gruyere, and layerd few slices of ham. Then buttered the outside and griddled it like a grilled cheese. When it was toasty and gooey, I smoothed a bit more bechemel on top, and topped it with a beautiful fried egg and sprinkle of parsley. It was truly indugent, delicious, and on a whim from the remnants in the fridge. A great start to the day--despite Jeff giving me a work mug on a weekend day. Ha.
Snack: Bean Taco
This afternoon, we learned that termites are back for the spring, when we discovered what felt like hundreds of termite swarmers in the downstairs bathroom. Highly unpleasant, and very triggering for me: we had a hellish pantry moth infestation one summer in Boston that cost a lot of money and food. Sigh. As scheduled, about 40 minutes later, the swarm was over, and it was an excellent reminder to have the pest folks out to spray for the spring. Message placed. After clean up, and after I had regained my appetite, we had a quick afternoon snack of bean tacos with slaw before settling in to cooking for the week.
Sheet Pan Sausages and Brussels Sprouts with Honey Mustard
This one was suggested by my good friend Julie K; they've been on a New York Times recipe kick. We felt it was promising, but it was clear to us that the particular ingredients really matter. I used a Trader Joe's bratwurst that was disappointingly low on flavor. Next time, I'll try a different sausage. I had a bit of minced shallot left from cooking other things, so we added that to the honey mustard before slathering it on for the final roast, and were glad about that. I also added a splash of IPA to thin it out so that the mustard would spread more easily. Next time, I'll be sure to use Grey Poupon in the sauce-- we added a little once it was on our plates, and it really perked things up over the less-pungent choice I made. I'd say: go for your very strongest mustard here!
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