Caramelized Onion & Bacon Croque Monsieur

Caramelized Onion & Bacon Croque Monsieur! This version of the classic French sandwich swaps crispy bacon for ham and adds in mouthwatering caramelized onion for a hint of sweetness. A perfect brunch dish!

Where do you find cooking inspiration?

Is it from ordinary life events? The nostalgia of old family favorites? Do you get creative in the kitchen for holidays and celebrations? Or get motivated by your travels and ingredients that knock your socks off?

For me, it’s all of the above.

Sometimes, I go directly to the source of cooking genius: Talented chefs that have a proven record of creating delectable dishes. It’s like a cooking cheat sheet!

Whether it’s watching the Food Network and taking note of ideas that stand out to me, or allowing my palate to do the research by heading out to restaurants and letting the flavors do the talking, I am always left inspired by the pros.

After all, they’ve practiced, they’ve sampled, they’ve worked the days away in hot kitchens… they’ve done all the work for us and have given us the finished product of a well planned meal or dish that tickles the taste buds.

While I was devising my brunch week menu, I was asked if I’d take a look at some recipes created by both well-known and up-and-coming chefs and create my own spin on their masterpieces, and since that’s typically my style anyway, I happily agreed to do so!

And so the Caramelized Onion and Bacon Croque Monsieur came to be… born of Chef François Payard’s fanciful twist on the already delightful Croque Monsieur  {a gussied up French hot ham & cheese}.

Chef François’ version, the Smoked Salmon Croque Monsieur, replaced the traditional ham version with a protein of a more aquatic nature. It’s like good ol’ Bagels and Lox went to France, fell in love with their fancy interpretation of grilled cheese, and wound up with this mouthwatering creation!

As amazing as the salmon rendition of this sandwich sounds, I don’t typically have smoked salmon on hand. But after all of my Derby cooking last week, I did have an excess amount of bacon taking up quite a bit of space in the fridge.

So…

I did the next best thing. Maybe even THE best thing. Because when is bacon not the best idea?

Sweet, caramelized onions with a salty bacon bite {and a hint of rosemary} serve as the main filling for this decadent brunch {or anytime!} main. Topped with bubbly, melted fontina cheese, this certainly isn’t your every day sandwich… though you’ll wish it were!

While I did adapt the recipe quite a bit, I used Chef François’ method of preparation, and though it requires a few more steps than just throwing the old grilled cheese on a skillet, I think it makes for toasty perfection!

Using a cast iron skillet {like one from our sponsor, Lodge Cast Iron!} produces nice, even heat for all-over browning. Chef François’ technique also allows for pre-assembling the sandwiches in their happy little foil packets ahead of time, which is a great way to cut on prep time if you’re hosting a brunch and don’t want to be in the kitchen the whole time.