This one goes out to my old man, a rendition of one of his very favourite late night snacks. It’s also one that I wish I had the forethought to concoct when I was jonesing for late night munchies back in my sharehouse days. It just may be the best late night snack ever created, certainly the most satisfying.
Without getting too bogged down in semantics here, the traditional French ‘croquemonsier’ is actually a full blown ham sandwich topped with grilled Gruyere cheese. Here, we tip our hat to the old French ways but change up the fromage, add a strip of salami and halve the bread content to a one slice deal, perfect size for late night munchies.
The ‘piece de resistance’ of course, is the post-grill drape of a delicious salty, oily anchovy. No chovy? No croque; if you’re not down with our hairy brethren of the sea, you’ll never appreciate the Old Man’s Croquemonsieur, aka Mister Crunch, aka ‘The Craig’, a three-sobriquet snack (croquer being ‘to crunch’, monsieur meaning ‘mister’, and Craig, the name of my old man).
It’s everything you want in a late night hit. Next time you’re up and wired roaming the kitchen in your dressing gown, indulge in the glorious union of salted fish with hot, melted cheese on a bed of baguette and blanket of meat! (We use salami here, the old man was always fond of laying down a few strips of chorizo on his, but the slice of choice remains yours. Just don’t skimp on the fish!)
Bon Ape Tit!
- 2 Slices of French bread (or any bread)
- 2 Slices of cured meat (salami/chorizo/ham/serrano, etc.)
- 2 Anchovies
- Several handfuls of mozzarella or cheddar cheese
- Cut two slices of bread, lay down a slice of cured meat on each and top with cheese.
- Place topped slices into grill and cook on medium-high for 3-5 minutes or until cheese is golden.
- Pluck two anchovies and drape them on top!
- Voila!
After years of living in gritty share houses—some wonderful, some pitiful—Honor Kennedy and Cam Hassard met each other in one.
Now living together in a Berlin apartment, they reflect on the gritty traditions of their sharehouse past, an homage to all the good bits of shared life—the camaraderie, the community, the meals and the wine.
Comment
You’re dad AKA “Craig” is a dude. Love the share house kitchen thing………man! and love you my boy. XX