Recipe Details
. Difficulty: Medium
. Cheese: Taleggio PDO
. Servings per: 4 people
. Cooking: 30 min
Intolerances
Without crustaceans
Ingredients
for the Piedmont hazelnut PGI bread
350 g finely ground soft wheat flour
150 g Piedmont hazelnut PGI flour
15 g brewer’s yeast
1 teaspoon malt or honey
280 ml water
salt
for the Taleggio PDO béchamel sauce
500 ml milk
100 g Taleggio PDO
50 g butter
50 g flour
nutmeg
salt
for 4 Croque Monsieur
8 slices hazelnut bread
300 g Taleggio PDO béchamel sauce
4 slices ham
sweet mustard
crushed Piedmont hazelnuts PGI for decorationPreparation
for the Piedmont hazelnut PGI bread
Dissolve the yeast in a little warm water, with a teaspoonful of malt or honey and leave in a warm covered place. As soon as the surface becomes rippled, add it to the previously sieved flour in a bowl; gradually add 250 ml of water, kneading rapidly with your hands; add the rest of the water only if the dough is still dry. Lastly add the salt. Continue kneading on a lightly floured work surface until you obtain a soft elastic dough: leave to prove in a bowl, covered with a cloth, for approximately three hours or until it has doubled in size.
Knead for a few more minutes on the work surface and then leave to prove in a 1 litre loaf tin: when the dough has risen above the edges of the tin, bake in the oven at 200°C for approximately half an hour, until the surface is golden. Take out of the oven, leave for ten minutes or so, then turn out and cool completely before cutting.
for the Taleggio PDO béchamel sauce
Melt the butter in a large saucepan on a medium heat. Add the flour all together and stir rapidly with a wooden spoon to bind the two ingredients in a roux. Add the cold milk, a little at a time, stirring continuously, and bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes until the béchamel thickens; at this point, switch off the heat, add the Taleggio PDO cut into pieces and stir vigorously until it has completely melted. Flavour with nutmeg and season with salt as required.
for the Croque Monsieur
Cut 8 slices of bread, trimming them square with a knife. Spread a film of mustard on 4 of them, cover with a slice of ham and a generous layer of Taleggio PDO béchamel sauce. Then place the other 4 slices on top to form 4 croque monsieur and spread the surface of each one with more béchamel sauce. Finish with toasted crushed Piedmont hazelnuts PGI and brown under the grill for a few minutes. Serve immediately.