Croque Monsieur
Course: BreakfastCuisine: FrenchDifficulty: Easy2
servings10
minutes10
minutes806
kcal20
minutesA Croque Monsieur is a french take on the classic ham and cheese sandwich. It can be either shallow fried in butter or baked in the oven.It originated in French cafés and bars in 1910 as a quick snack, with a literal translation of “Mister Crunch”. A variant of the dish is Croque Madame “Missus Crunch”, which has the addition of a poached or fried egg on top.Other variants include, Croque Hawaiian (the addition of Pineapple) and Croque Provençal (the addition of Tomatoes).
Ingredients
2 tbsp Unsalted Butter extra for frying
2 tbsp Plain Flour
1/2 Pint Warm Milk
Pinch Nutmeg
4 Slices Thick White Bread or Brown if you prefer
4 oz Sliced Ham
4 oz Gruyere Cheese
2 oz Grated Gruyere Cheese
Dijon Mustard
Directions
- For the Béchamel Sauce
- Place the milk in a saucepan and put on heat to warm through.
Melt the butter in a thick bottomed pan until it just starts to foam, add the flour and stir continuously until the butter and flour are well combined.(A Roux) - Slowly pour the warmed milk into the Roux making sure you keep the paste nice and smooth. (Continual stirring will achieve this)
- Keep adding the milk until you have a nice creamy sauce. Add the nutmeg and stir in.
- For the Sandwich
- Spread the Dijon mustard on one side of each piece of bread.
Top 2 pieces of bread with even amounts of ham and cheese. - Then place the other two pieces of bread on top to make the sandwiches.
- In a large frying pan melt another tablespoon of butter.
- Add each sandwich and lightly brown on both sides. (About 4 minutes each side)
- Place the sandwiches on a flat baking tray that will fit under your grill and spoon over the tops of the sandwiches with Bechamel Sauce.
- Sprinkle each sandwich with the grated Gruyere, (Don’t be mean)
- Place under the grill until golden brown and the Bechamel sauce bubbles.
- To make a Croque Madame, add a poached egg