Due to my back, mobility and other considerations I haven’t been able to take my wife out for a meal often. We will have been together 16 years in September. It just wasn’t an option, so I would bring the experience to her at home. My daughter is specific when it comes to her food, so I just make her something different that she enjoys too. In this particular instance, a Tetris block tuna sandwich, a banana, bag of ready salted crisps and a bar of dairy milk “Little Bars”.
I found cooking books to be too specific, not adaptive to personal tastes or sensory needs. I tend not to use them and look for techniques over following a specific recipe.
To create your own croque monsieur, you will need bread, butter (or an alternative), ham (vegan alternative) and cheese (or a vegan cheese that melts well).
Apply butter to one side of the bread and put it under the grill, when it’s a golden brown turn it over and toast the other side. You can then add large pieces of cheese and ham, or chop them up and mix them through like I have done. Put it back under the grill, add crisps and an optional dip, in my wife’s case she prefers coleslaw. That’s all there is to it. It’s a lunch that doesn’t take much preparation or time to make, and my wife loves it when I make her one.
As for something sweet, I created a simple pudding for her. I chopped up white chocolate buttons, fresh strawberries and mixed them in with creme fraiche. I then added some of the smaller bits of chocolate from the chopping board and a strawberry heart. Because she is the only one in the house that likes creme fraiche, it just means that it’s split over two days and she gets to enjoy it the next day too.
All our best and love
Ross Fraser and Jeni Dern
Words – Ross A Fraser
Graphic Design App – Canva
I have missed out on a lot of experiences but I’ve always tried to treat my family. To make sure my wife and daughter have little positives when possible, and that I constantly show them how much I adore them.