Croque Madame

 ingredients:

Two slices of rustic sourdough bread.

Four slices of good quality Gruyere cheese.

Four equally good quality slices of Black Forest Ham or your favorite ham, thinly sliced.

2 or more tablespoons room temperature butter.

One egg.

Salt and pepper, to taste.

Two skillets.

I like using a cast iron skillet, but it's not mandatory. Over medium heat, melt a tablespoon of butter in the skillet while generously buttering one side of each piece of bread.

Place the bread buttered side down in the pan and arrange one slice of cheese on each bread slice. On top of the cheese, add the ham and then the remaining cheese. Place one slice of the bread on top of the other, sandwich style. Cook for about three minutes on both sides for a wonderful golden crisp sandwich.

While the sandwich is cooking, melt a tablespoon of butter in the other skillet. Once the butter has melted, crack the egg into the pan, being careful not to break the yolk. Allow the egg to cook for about a minute and then add a tablespoon of water, cover with a lid, and allow to cook for two minutes more for a soft egg.Take the finished egg and arrange it on top of the cooked cheese sandwich.

1/2 cup butter, 2 cloves crushed garlic, 2 pounds onions, 5 tablespoons flour, 6 slices French bread, 2/3 cup grated Gruyère cheese, salt and pepper.

Melt the butter over medium heat. Add garlic and onions; fry until golden brown; add flour and fry until golden; add 10 cups hot water; season with salt and pepper; cook at a rolling boil until the onions are tender; skim off any fat.

Place a slice of bread in the bottom of each of six soup bowls and sprinkle the grated cheese over; pour on the boiling soup and let stand six minutes.

4 servings

Bistro Chicken with Port-Mushroom Sauce

Chicken:

1/2 cup cracker or crouton crumbs (Pick your favorite flavor.)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 Tbl chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
4 boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup melted butter
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 lemon

You'll want to make cracker crumbs. If you've had a bad day, just take crackers and put them in a baggie and smash them. I use a full can of soup or broth if I don't have a handy rolling pin. Croutons make good crumbs for this dish too. Take out your aggressions on the crackers. What flavor of crumbs you choose will make a slight difference in the dish, but why limit yourself to soup crackers? If you are doing low-carb, use whole wheat crackers. You choose.

Mix the cracker crumbs, cheese, parsley and salt and pepper on a large plate. Put the first half cup of melted butter on a smaller plate. You are setting up an assembly line.

One at a time, place each chicken breast in a plastic bag. Use the same soup can or a meat mallet to flatten the chicken breast to less than one-half inch in thickness. Just squish down the fattest parts so it will cook faster and spread it out. Try to keep the extra piece (the tenderloin) that sticks off still attached, but don't worry if it falls off. When one breast is squished, take it out of the bag, roll it in the butter and then put it in the crumb mixture and turn it over. You want to coat both sides. Press it down so you get crumbs and cheese mixture all over. Then do the next breast, and then do it again until you get all 4 ready to go.

Now heat the olive oil in your large saute pan. Put in all 4 breasts. Cook on Medium High just 3 to 5 minutes until you get the first side nicely browned. Turn over. Brown the second side. When all 4 breasts are browned on both sides, you're ready for the oven. If your saute pan is okay to put in the oven, you can just pop them in. If the handle is not oven proof you'd better put them in another pan. A 9 by 13 oven-proof pan will do just fine. Squeeze the lemon over the chicken and pop the pan in the oven. You'll finish baking the chicken with the potatoes. The chicken will only take 15 to 20 minutes at 425 degrees to cook because you've already partially cooked it in the saute pan and because you flattened it to make it cook faster.

4 servings