morning after
perfecting the "done before they arrive" party- a work in progress
I’m having my old Cleveland girlfriends down for a Dayton sleepover to kick off my fiftieth birthday. Cocktails, dinner, and brunch (before I ship them north on their merry way). And to make sure it is a chipper car ride back I want to make sure they have a scrumptious, and substantial, send-off.
The morning after my wedding anniversary I had an amazing breakfast sandwich in historic Georgetown. Paul’s bakery had an incredible array of viennoiserie- savory snacks wrapped inside sweet buttery dough. On what promises to be another notable eve I’ll try to reconstruct this morning treat- ham and gruyere croissants.
The secret to this melty sandwich is a thin layer of béchamel sauce. Melt butter in small saucepan, add the flour.
Cook until bubbly.
Gradually whisk in milk. Add nutmeg and bay leaf. Simmer until the sauce thickens, whisking constantly, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Slice the croissants in half. Spread one tablespoon of béchamel sauce on the inside of each half.
Sprinkle each half with one ounce of grated gruyere.
Top one side with two ounces ham.
Carefully cover with other half. Loosely wrap each filled croissant in foil. Heat in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Devour immediately.