Cheese Hams It Up
This recipe features Béchamel, a classic French sauce used in numerous tasty dishes. To make a perfect sauce, do not use metal utensils, opt for wooden spoons instead.

Make sure the ham slices in this dish are pre-cooked - thick, generous slices are plentiful at all supermarkets. To add a bit of a twist to the flavour, buy it smoked.

The Gruyère cheese topping has a very distinct flavour - do try to use this type of cheese, not Cheddar. Originally from Switzerland, Gruyère is a huge favourite in French cookery. The French attribute the name to the "agent gruyer", a tax collector in the Middle Ages, who collected his fees in the form of timber or cheese. If only we could pay our taxes in this way!

INGREDIENTS
  • 10fl oz (275ml) full-fat milk
  • Salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 parsley stalk
  • 1 onion ring
  • 1 sliver of carrot
  • 2oz (50g) butter
  • 2 tbsp flour, sifted
  • 2 iceberg lettuce hearts, shredded
  • 8 x 2oz (50g) slices cooked ham
  • 4oz (100g) Gruyère cheese, grated
  • Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Pour the milk into a pan and add a dash of salt and black pepper, the bay leaf, parsley, onion and carrot. Heat gently - do not let it boil. Leave to stand for 15 minutes. In another pan, melt the butter and stir in the flour. Allow to cook for a minute or so without browning. Strain the milk and, stirring continuously, pour it into the melted butter. Cook over a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring constantly until it thickens. Put to one side.

Preheat the oven to 200 C/400 F, gas mark 6. Place half the lettuce in a shallow earthenware dish and cover with the ham slices. Top the ham with the remaining lettuce and pour the Béchamel sauce over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and add the cheese and nutmeg. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and pop under the grill until it browns on top. Serve with lots of fresh French bread.

Please send any comments on this page to:
G.Mills@compserv.gla.ac.uk
(George W. Mills, Computing Service, University of Glasgow)