While this menu will be our first one posted in 2011, some of us will be planning it and making it this last week of 2010, so for some of you, by the time this is posted here, we are still going to be 3 days away from the New Year and some of you are still in travel or way to complicated to cook yet another thing.

But, our first menu choice for the month of January menu has been chosen by our gutsy cook: Stephanie of Fake Goods and let me tell you she had done well. This week’s menu:

Croque Monsieur – page 88
Apple Charlotte – page 459

Both of these should not take time away from all that New Year planning, in fact the Croque Monsieur is a glorify grilled sandwich. How easy is that?

And if you have never tried the Croque Monsieur, you are in for a treat. Every time I visit Paris, this is always a must on my “must eat now!” list, they are so good and once more they are made with Gruyere (or Emmental) cheese so what is there not to like? And if you feel even gutsier try the Croque Madame version, which tops the sandwich with a fried or poached egg, even better! The version on the book is the “fancy” version because it uses “béchamel” sauce and it takes this plain grilled sandwich way over the top.

For those of you that have no idea what an Apple Charlotte is, basically it is made by lining a mold with buttered bread slices, filling this with cooked apples, baking it in an oven and unmolding the dessert once the bread as crisped up and the filling as warmed through. You can make a smaller version of this dessert by using ramekins instead of the 9-inch spring form that the recipe calls to use.

So there you have it two simple choices and perfect for this hectic week. So, put on that apron, take out your sauté pan and let’s get cracking!

Ready, set… get GUTSY!

NOTE: I did the Croque Monsieur today and realized there is a typo in the recipe! Step 2 is missing the portion where you melt the butter FIRST before you mix in the flour! It should read like this:

2. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Whisk in the flour and let bubble without browning for 1 minute. Whisk in the milk. Simmer, whisking often, until smooth and thick. Add the shredded cheese and mustard and stir until the cheese is melted.