The host of "Binging with Babish" creates a croque monsieur, a French-inspired ham and cheese sandwich. He starts by making pain de mie bread from scratch, using a recipe from King Arthur Flour. The dough is mixed, kneaded, and allowed to rest before being shaped into a loaf and baked in a pullman loaf pan. Once the bread is ready, the host assembles the sandwich with Gruyère cheese, ham, and a béchamel sauce. The sandwich is then toasted and topped with more béchamel and cheese before being baked until golden brown. The host then upgrades the sandwich by using brioche bread, adding Dijon mustard, and topping it with a fried egg to make a croque madame. Finally, he takes it to the next level by dipping the sandwich in a custard batter and frying it to make a monte cristo, and then adds a fried egg on top to make a monte cristo madame.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The recipe being discussed is for a Croque Monsieur, a type of toasted ham and cheese sandwich.
2. The host of the show shared a Croque Monsieur with Kevin on their first anniversary in Paris.
3. To make the bread for the Croque Monsieur, the host uses a recipe from King Arthur Flour.
4. The ingredients for the bread include milk, lukewarm water, unsalted butter, kosher salt, granulated sugar, nonfat dry milk, potato flour, all-purpose flour, and instant yeast.
5. The host mixes the ingredients in a stand mixer for 2 minutes, then kneads the dough for 5-6 minutes until it is smooth and elastic.
6. The dough is then let to rest at room temperature for 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours until it has puffed but not quite doubled in size.
7. The dough is then shaped into a loaf and placed in a pullman loaf-shaped bed, where it is let to rest again for 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours.
8. The loaf is then baked in a closed system at 350°F (175°C) for 25 minutes, then unwrapped and baked for an additional 20 minutes.
9. The host then lets the loaf cool completely on a wire rack before slicing it into thick sandwich slices.
10. To assemble the Croque Monsieur, the host spreads béchamel sauce on the bottom slice of bread, then tops it with grated Gruyère cheese, ham, and another slice of bread.
11. The top slice of bread is then topped with another layer of béchamel sauce and Gruyère cheese.
12. The sandwich is then baked in the oven at 375°F (190°C) until it is thoroughly browned and bubbly.
13. To upgrade the Croque Monsieur, the host uses brioche as the bread base and adds a thin spread of Dijon mustard to the top slice of toast.
14. The host then finishes the sandwich under the broiler to give it a crispy, French onion soup-like gratiné on top.
15. To make the Croque Monsieur into a Croque Madam, the host adds a fried sunny-side up egg on top of the sandwich.
16. To make the Monte Cristo, the host dips the sandwich in a custard made from eggs and milk, then fries it in a nonstick pan until it is golden brown and crispy.