Croque Monsieur

• Preheat your oven to 400°F.
• Take the cheese out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature.

Infused Evaporated Milk

• Pour evaporated milk into a cold 2 quart stainless steel saucier or similar pan. Add the onion, garlic, nutmeg, thyme, black pepper and salt to the milk. Briefly stir the mixture, cover it with lid and set it to medium low heat to steep for 30 minutes. (I kept my pan at a temperature of 190°F using a precise induction cook top. You should see a gentle steam rising off of the milk but it should not be boiling at any point.)
• Stir the milk every 5 to 7 minutes to help with extraction of flavor.
• Meanwhile, toast the bread slices on a 1/2 size baking sheet (13” x 18”) for 10-14 minutes, flipping halfway through, in the 400°F oven. The bread should not have any color from this toasting but it should be crisp when complete. Let the bread cool in the pan uncovered when its finished.
• When the milk is finished steeping, pour it through a fine mesh strainer to remove the aromatics. Move directly into the next step and do not allow the milk to cool down.

Béchamel

• In a gently preheated 2 quart stainless steel saucier or similar pan, add the butter and melt it over medium heat until liquid and slightly foamy.
• While whisking, add in the flour to make a roux. Whisk vigorously to ensure there are no large clumps.
• While whisking, cook the roux for 1 minute to remove the raw flour taste.
• In 4-6 batches, add the hot infused evaporated milk to the roux while whisking vigorously. After each batch of milk is fully absorbed add the next, and so on.
• Once all of the hot infused evaporated milk is added, cook the béchamel over medium heat until it begins to gently bubble. Reduce the heat slightly and cook it for another 2-3 minutes (the end cook time of the béchamel is reduced because we used hot milk). Continue to whisk intermittently to ensure there are no clumps. Once the béchamel can coat the back of a spoon it’s complete. (Optional Step: run the béchamel through a fine mesh strainer to remove any clumps.)

Croque monsieur

• Grate the cheese over a large grater and set it to the side.
• Thinly slice Fuji apple on a mandolin. The slices should be paper thin. (Optional Step: briefly add the slices to acidulated water to prevent browning. Acidulate water by adding a few pinches of citric acid or lemon juice to enough water to coat the apple slices.)
• In the ½ baking sheet, spread a decent amount of mustard on each slice of bread. There should be enough mustard to completely coat the surface of the bread.
• On top of the layer of mustard spread 2-3 tablespoons worth of béchamel each slice of the bread. Choose two of the pieces of bread to be the top pieces. The top slices should get an additional 1-2 tablespoons of béchamel on top of what was already added.
• Add a moderate layer of cheese (half handful) to the two slices that will be the bottom. Add a large mound (full handful) of cheese to the two top pieces.
• To the bottom pieces, and directly on top of the cheese, add 4 slices of the apple. On top of the apple, add 6 slices ham.
• Put the layers of bread together. Dollop 3-4 more teaspoons of béchamel to the top slices, right on top of the cheese. Add more cheese to the top layers of bread if desired.
• Bake in the 400°F oven, middle rack, for 10-13 minutes to warm the sandwich through. After this, move the oven rack as close as you can to the broiler and turn the oven to broil at 500°. When the cheese top is bubbly and melty and has color the Croque monsieur are ready, 4-6 minutes.
• Leave whole or slice in half and enjoy. Garnish with scallion if desired.