After trying to be a vegetarian for about a week and a half, I finally had a croque-monsieur— a tasty French version of a ham and cheese sandwich. Explaining why I don’t really like eating meat was quite a battle, to be honest.

Believe me, I have my reasons.

First, I nearly choked to death on a piece of beef when I was four-years-old. I couldn’t breathe, let alone call out for help. It traumatized me.

Second, vegetarian options are often much cheaper when eating out. If you generally don’t mind a meatless meal, you could save a lot of money.

And lastly, I recently discovered that the leading cause of foodborne illnesses results from the consumption of packaged meats— which are advertised as already-cooked, but often need to be cooked a bit longer. This is what I did for the ham in my croque-monsieur.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has found many packaged deli meats to contain traces of bacteria called listeria monocytogenes, which has caused more cases of illness and death than the salmonella callbacks. Make sure your meat is cooked.

But when my cute, little student that I tutor French to begged me to eat half of her croque-monsieur with her, I just could not say no. I picked up the sandwich, thanked God for the freedom He gave us to eat meat, and munched away. She had triumphed in getting me to eat meat. I have no willpower, I have to admit– but I was happy to see my student leave with a big smile on her face and lots of French words in her head. Well, a tutor can only hope.

Now that I have wasted a third of my article detailing my meager attempt to become a vegetarian, let’s get to what I am supposed to be writing about: le croque-monsieur, which I like to translate as “Mr. Crunch.”

The mother of my little student found an adorable French cookbook called “La Cuisine Est Un Jeu d’Enfants”— “The Kitchen is Kid’s Stuff”— which was published in 1963 and written entirely in French. Luckily, this recipe was a cinch to translate and to make.

First, preheat your oven by turning to the lowest heat on the “broil” setting. Butter both slices of sandwich bread. Place six slivers of the Gruyere cheese on the buttered side of one bread slice, followed by a slice of cooked ham. Put the remaining six slivers of Gruyere cheese on top of the ham and finish it off by placing the second slice of bread on top (with buttered side facing the cheese). Put the sandwich on a piece of foil or in a baking dish and broil in the oven for 10 minutes. After that, turn it over and give it three more minutes of cooking time. “Mangez chaud,” commands the recipe: Eat hot!

This is probably one of the most standard recipes for the croque out there, so don’t be afraid to be bold and try some variations. The feminine counterpart of this beloved sandwich is called “la croque-madame”— or, as I like to translate, “Mrs. Crunch.” She differs from her hubby in one distinct way: a sunny-side-up egg. Be sure to fry the egg and place it on top of the entire sandwich right as it comes out of the oven. Other recipes add extras like tomato slices, Dijon mustard, mayonnaise and dried herbs like basil, rosemary and sage— not all in one recipe, of course. Be creative, but follow the old adage: less is more.

The croque-monsieur can also be done in the Biola Caf with the two very popular panini grills located at the Grain Gallery. The Caf also has a variety of breads, cheeses and other extras for you to choose from at the Garden to make your croque-monsieur your own signature creation. Bon Appetit!