It's all about winning

If you are a parent, then you will, like me, have come to realize that you are no longer in control of your own life. The kids are. Victories are few and far between, so must be savoured and appreciated, in the vain hope that the glow they impart might last just long enough until the next time. Well, last night, there was a moment at the dinner table, when I felt like I just might be winning, temporarily, and only at a stretch, but winning a small victory, nonetheless.

If you are a frequent reader here, you will have gathered that my children are in a phase when they refuse to eat sandwiches in their packed lunch, which as you can imagine is a cause of pain and suffering for the woman who packs those lunches, namely me. Put it this way, it is October, and I am emotionally 'done' with the year of packed lunches already. I am also constantly struck by how ridiculous it is NOT to like sandwiches. They love bread, they love cheese, they love ham. But a cheese and ham sandwich? Forgetaboutit.

Well, last night, this is the dinner we gathered around:

No, it isn't a sandwich! It is a dish called a Croque Monsieur Casserole, the recipe for which came from a Rachel Ray magazine. What is a Croque Monsieur? Well, it's a French ham and cheese sandwich. Let me repeat that: it's a ham and cheese sandwich. OK, so our dinner was technically a casserole based on a ham and cheese sandwich. A casserole which was greeted not by 'The Y-word', which is usually thrown at a sandwich (rhymes with duck, and is forbidden in this house, along with at least one other word that rhymes with duck), but 'The D-word' (rhymes with propitious, and maybe this will be). Ha! This round of the sandwich wars was won by me. The war rages on, and I'm losing, but at least this battle is mine :-)

Whether you like sandwiches or not, with or without ham and cheese, this recipe is a definite keeper (even now that they know it is based on a sandwich). My only tweak was that I added more egg and milk, as it all looked a bit too dry when I assembled it. I'm glad I did, as it was perfectly moist as prepared below. It also went fabulously well with a simple green salad dressed with a sharp tasting vinaigrette, to cut through the oozy, creamy, cheesy goodness of the casserole. I have therefore also included a recipe for lemon vinaigrette below, for those who are feeling brave and want to try and replicate this victory at home!

Croque Monsieur Casserole
Serves 5

1 day-old baguette cut into 1/2" slices
2 TBSP butter melted
2 TBSP Dijon mustard
9 oz gruyere, shredded/grated
8 oz thinly sliced ham
6 large eggs
1 3/4 cups whole milk
freshly ground black pepper
1. Take half of the bread slices and chop them into 1/2" cubes. Toss cubes with melted butter in a large bowl.
2. Spread mustard over remaining bread slices, and arrange them, slightly overlapping, in a 2-qt baking dish. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of cheese over the top.
3. Fold ham slices in half and arrange in an even layer over the cheese. Top with half of the remaining cheese.
4. Sprinkle bread cubes evenly over the top, and then top with remaining cheese.
5. Whisk eggs with milk and season with black pepper to taste. Pour carefully over casserole and lightly press down on bread so that it begins to soak up liquid.
6. Set casserole aside at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
7. Bake casserole in oven until puffed up and golden, about 30 minutes.
8. Leave to cool slightly for 5 minutes before serving.

Lemon Vinaigrette

2 TBSP freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 TBSP white wine vinegar
1-2 tsp wholegrain mustard
5 TBSP olive oil
salt and pepper

Whisk all ingredients together. Serve tossed with a simple green salad.