Last Thursday was Beaujolais Nouveau opening day and so I wanted to make a traditional French meal for the occasion. Beaujolais Nouveau is a red wine made from Gamay grapes produced in the Beaujolais region of France. It is the most popular vin de primeur (new wine), because it is fermented for just a few weeks before being released for sale on the third Thursday of November. I really wanted to make Julia Child’s onion soup and the Croque Monsieur is a really great pairing with that. The translation for Croque Monsieur means “bite of man” but it’s really just a ham and cheese sandwich that is rolled, crusted with panko and then pan fried. What I love about this meal is that everything but the soup gets made the night before so it would be perfect if you were entertaining and you didn’t want to be stuck in the kitchen all night. Click here to get the recipes and see how they’re made!