Eggplant and veal croque cake

Today I want to teach you how to prepare a delicious eggplant and beef croque cake that will be very useful for a daily dinner or to take to a party, since it is a recipe that makes quite a few servings. Croques cakes are savory cakes inspired by the famous French croque monsieur, those mixed sandwiches covered in bechamel and gratin that you have surely seen in many bakeries.

To make a croque cake, you will need a tall rectangular mold. Mine is from Emile Henry, a renowned French brand that makes fantastic ceramic utensils of excellent quality. They are resistant, non-porous and can be washed in the dishwasher without problems. For me, Emile Henry products are essential in my kitchen.

The croque cake that I cooked today is made with eggplant and beef, but you can add the ingredients that you like the most. For me, a combination that fascinates me is that of Iberian ham and Urgèlia DOP cheese, which is a soft cow's cheese originating from the Catalan Pyrenees.

Emile Henry rectangular ceramic mold , Le Creuset damascus steel knife and Le Creuset wooden cutting board

Ingredients

• Crustless sliced ​​bread (I used 7 and a half slices)
• 1 onion
• 400g minced beef
• 4 tablespoons fried tomato
• 2 eggplants
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Olive oil
• 50g grated cheese

For the bechamel:

• 50g butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 50g flour
• 600ml milk
• 150g grated cheese
• Salt
• Nutmeg

Elaboration

1. Chop the small onion and put it in afrying pan with a splash of olive oil and a pinch of salt over medium-low heat. You must poach it well. If you see that it starts to burn, add a splash of water and continue cooking until it turns golden brown.
2. Add the minced meat, season with salt and pepper and let it brown.
3. Add the fried tomato and let everything cook for a couple of minutes. Booking.
4. To prepare the bechamel, put the butter and olive oil in a saucepan . When the butter melts, add the flour and stir a few times with the help of a whisk . Let it cook for a couple of minutes without stopping stirring.
5. Add the warm milk while stirring.
6. Season with salt and add a pinch of nutmeg. Keep stirring until you get a thick bechamel.
7. Remove from heat and add the grated cheese. Stir so that it is well integrated.
8. Cut the eggplants into thin slices and salt them. Cook them in a frying pan with a splash of olive oil for a couple of minutes on each side. Reserve them.
9. To assemble the croque cake, line the mold with baking paper. To make it easier to adapt the paper to the mold, you can wet it under the tap and drain it well. This way you can give it the shape you want.
10. Line the bottom of the mold with the bread, cutting the slices if necessary. Put a layer of minced meat, a layer of eggplants, cover with bechamel and put another layer of bread on top. Repeat the process ending with a layer of sliced ​​bread. Finally, cover with bechamel and decorate with some slices of eggplant and grated cheese.
11. Bake for 35 minutes with heat up and down at 180º.
12. After the time has passed, remove from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes before removing it from the mold.

Emile Henry rectangular ceramic mold , Le Creuset damascus steel knife and Le Creuset wooden cutting board