Table of Contents
This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.
Do you dream about Christmas parties? Ok, I can’t be the only one! Surely some of you do too. And I don’t mean just any old Christmas party. I’m envisioning one of those idyllic parties you’d see in a movie. Maybe the setting is White Christmas (one of my favorites!) with a mix of The Holiday, Bing Crosby, and Ella Fitzgerald playing in the background, partygoers dressed in their best and ready for a festive time. Everyone is mingling around, some with a plate of food and others with a drink in hand.
Is eggnog pushing this Christmas dream too far? Not when it’s paired with my version of a croque monsieur!
I’ve always dreamed of a party like this. And if you know me, you’ll know that’s no surprise. I’ve always wondered why parties weren’t like the ones of my dreams.
Then I finally realized: I just need to throw one!
The hardest part of any party is just deciding to throw one. Everyone’s busy during the holidays, and I find it quite easy to talk myself out of going to all the work. There are so many things to consider: theme, menu, time, and date… But this year, there are no excuses!
Instead of making an entire meal, I love to serve unique “bites” that guests can enjoy throughout the party. The main bite this year is my take on the quintessential croque monsieur. While traditionally made with Black Forest ham, cheese, and a light white sauce, I pretty much did none of that.
My version layers sliced turkey, smoked Gouda with a quick homemade cranberry jam. The flavors are sweet, savory, salty, and perfectly balanced.
With these handheld-sized sandwiches, guests are free to take one or two (along with some other bites), mingle, then munch some more. As the host, smaller foods also make the work easier for me. As a rule, I pick items that can be partially prepped ahead of time. It just cuts down on my stress level the day of the party and it frees me up to enjoy the party as well.
Additionally, most of my favorite appetizers are made in larger quantities, then cut down into smaller portions. This also helps to cut down my prep time considerably!
More Christmas appetizer recipes
Cocktail Meatballs with Cranberry Sauce
Brown Butter Herb Party Mix
Cinnamon Spiced Nuts
Cranberry Cheese Log
Watch how to make these croque monsieur sandwiches
Turkey & Cranberry Croque Monsieur
Ingredients
For the cranberry jam
- 12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1 orange
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 cup light brown sugar
For the sandwiches
- 1 loaf sliced country-style bread (approximately 14 slices)
- ½ cup Dijon mustard
- 1 lb thinly sliced turkey breast
- 6 oz smoked Gouda shredded
- 1 cup prepared cranberry jam (ingredients above)
Instructions
For the jam
- Slice the orange as thinly as possible. Then dice into smaller pieces.1 orange
- Combine the cranberries, orange pieces, rosemary, and brown sugar in a small kettle and bring to a boil.12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries, 1 orange, 1 sprig fresh rosemary, 1 cup light brown sugar
- Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and continue to cook until the cranberries have burst and are thick, about 10-12 minutes.
- Take off the heat and set aside.
For the sandwiches
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Lay out slices of bread on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until lightly browned and crisp, 3-5 minutes per side. Remove from oven.1 loaf sliced country-style bread (approximately 14 slices)
- Spread half the slices of bread with Dijon mustard. Layer on sliced turkey and shredded Gouda. Return to oven just to melt the cheese, 2 minutes.½ cup Dijon mustard, 1 lb thinly sliced turkey breast, 6 oz smoked Gouda
- Spread the remaining slices of bread with cranberry jam and place on top of the prepared sandwiches.1 cup prepared cranberry jam (ingredients above)
- Sprinkle shredded cheese on the sandwiches and return to oven until melted, 3 minutes. Allow to cool 5 minutes.
I made these sandwiches yesterday. They were great. I always look forward to your Tuesday posts.
Thanks!
Jeanne
Just a suggestion, but how about a week of the Cranberry for 2021? As far as I can find you only have one recipe for cranberries. There’s cranberry bars, bread, jam, of course stables of sauce and relish. This doesn’t need to be a public comment.