Tomato Croque Monsieur
"A delicious vegetarian version that pairs well with inexpensive but good red or white wines. If your tomatoes are not very moist you can omit some of the draining time, like I did. I made this with a processed gruyere cheese (which was all the store had) and Italian flavored bread crumbs. Can be served as canapes (quartered) or makes six sandwiches. Published in the New York Times."
photo by French Tart
- Ready In:
- 1hr
- Ingredients:
- 9
- Yields:
-
24 canapes
- Serves:
- 6
ingredients
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 lbs tomatoes, meaty and ripe, peeled, seeded, juiced and coarsely chopped (dip in boiling water for 30 seconds to peel easily)
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 2 tablespoons basil leaves, minced
- 1⁄4 cup dry breadcrumbs
- fresh ground black pepper, to taste
- 12 slices white bread (firm, crusts trimmed if desired)
- 4 -6 ounces gruyere cheese (thinly sliced)
- 2 teaspoons oil
directions
- With a food processor running, drop in garlic until minced. Turn off machine and add tomatoes. Pulse until finely chopped. (This step can also be done manually if preferred, which is how I did it).
- Place mixture in a fine sieve over a bowl, stir in salt and allow to drain 30 minutes, pressing down on tomatoes from time to time.
- Transfer tomatoes to a bowl and stir in basil and breadcrumbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Arrange half the bread slices on a work surface and spread with tomato mixture. Cover with a thin layer of the cheese and top with remaining bread.
- Film a large non-stick skillet with oil. Place as many sandwiches as will fit comfortably and fry over medium-low or medium heat, turning to brown both sides and pressing down lightly with a spatula until golden on both sides. (About 1 1/2 - 2 minutes per side.) Remove to paper towel to drain.
- Repeat if necessary while finished sandwiches are kept in a 200 degree Fahrenheit oven to be kept warm. Quarter sandwiches on the diagonal for canapes.
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Reviews
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C'est formidable! I LOVED this my lovely catty's friend! I also added some thinly slcied tomatoes to the sandwich for another layer of texture.......and as my basil is not out yet, I added parsley instead of basil. Made for my lunch today and served with a small green salad and yet MORE fresh tomatoes, I LOVE them! A great veggie alternative to the ussual ham croque monsieur - merci! FT:-) -
I made these as party canapes and they disappeared the fastest! I added a slice of ham to half of them for those who preferred the traditional croque monsieur. I also dipped the sandwiches in an egg white/skim milk wash (ala French toast) before frying and quartering, which made them nice and gooey, but still held up well as finger food. Note, I would avoid if you only have bland, out-of-season tomatoes. -
Very tasty indeed! We enjoyed these as part of an appetizer meal and they were a big hit. Loved the basil and garlic flavours. Thanks for a lovely recipe!
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i love these thanks for posting dee
Tweaks
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C'est formidable! I LOVED this my lovely catty's friend! I also added some thinly slcied tomatoes to the sandwich for another layer of texture.......and as my basil is not out yet, I added parsley instead of basil. Made for my lunch today and served with a small green salad and yet MORE fresh tomatoes, I LOVE them! A great veggie alternative to the ussual ham croque monsieur - merci! FT:-)
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Kumquat the Cats fr
New York City, 72
<p>Clockwise from upper left, my dear friends Cranberry, Quincy, Kumquat and Kiwi. All of our cats were born in the wild and adopted by us. Zaar Chefs I have met so far: Elmotoo, justcallmeToni, ~Rita~, Midwest Maven, Bird&Buddha (both of them) and most recently, Ms*Bindy from upstate New York:) Wonderful, sweet, friendly people and great chefs! Most relevant thing to mention here is that I am a vegetarian, and recently became a vegan (almost 100%). To put vegetables and other things not meat or fish on the table I work as an actuary (in my case anyway, a combination of statistician, number-cruncher and/or programmer). For fun I like to travel. Just came back from Namibia, a peaceful democracy in Africa with lots of animals! Got some terrific pictures of lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, rhinocerous, hyenas, all kinds of antelopes, giraffes and zebras. Namibia is the second most sparsely populated country per square mile, just behind Mongolia. Update: We went to Italy this Spring. We had lots of pizza and pasta. The pizza is so much better in Italy, particularly the crust. The Amalfi coast was absolutely beautiful. Spectacular natural scenery (Canada and Alaska are really beautiful, Patagonia in Chile is sublime, Iceland is unique) has been my latest passion as far as travel destinations but I have seen quite a few big cities too (Paris, Berlin, London and Madrid to name a few). On my bulletin board at work I keep a list of every country I've visited (other than the U.S. of course). So far I've made it to five continents: Europe, Africa, South America, Asia and North America of course. I've got only two other continents to conquer:) I don't usually have difficulty finding vegetarian dishes here in the U.S. or overseas, but finding vegan dishes is much harder. I have no kids, just cats, Kumquat, Cranberry, and more recently Quincy and Kiwi. They are purebreds, of the breed alley caticus (okay, American shorthair I guess). Our cats are not vegetarians, though my boyfriend (significant other, long-term partner, whatever) is. I am a friend of all animals both tamed and wild. In addition I am a freethinker and my boyfriend studies philosophy. Either way, we get along pretty well. Also, please allow me to say that my BF and I recently bought a condominium in NYC.:) Pet peeve? Okay, I don't like public scenes, especially parents yelling at their children, lovers' spats, etc. If it must be done please do it in private:D Participation & Awards:</p>
