Croque Monsieur

About This Recipe

The croque monsieur (roughly 'Mr. Crunch') first appeared in Paris cafés in 1910. Its genius lies in béchamel sauce spooned over the top that caramelises under the grill into a golden, bubbling crust. Add a fried egg on top and it becomes a Croque Madame. Deceptively simple, devastatingly delicious.

Ingredients

Serves 2

• 4 slicesthick white bread(pain de mie or brioche)
• 4 slicesquality cooked ham
• 150 gGruyère(grated)
• 20 gunsalted butter
• 20 gplain flour
• 250 mlwhole milk(warm)
• 1 pinchfreshly grated nutmeg
• 1 tbspDijon mustard
• 30 gsoftened butter(for the bread)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make béchamel

   Melt butter, whisk in flour, cook 1 minute. Gradually add warm milk, whisking constantly. Cook until thick, about 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir in 50g of the Gruyère.

2. 2

   Build the sandwich

   Butter one side of each bread slice. Spread Dijon on the unbuttered sides of 2 slices. Layer ham, then a generous amount of Gruyère. Top with remaining bread, butter-side out.

3. 3

   Pan-fry

   In a skillet over medium heat, cook sandwiches butter-side down for 3 minutes per side until golden and cheese is melting.

4. 4

   Add béchamel and grill

   Transfer to a baking sheet. Spoon béchamel generously over the top. Scatter remaining Gruyère. Grill/broil 3–4 minutes until golden, bubbling and irresistible.

Variations

• •

  Croque Madame: top with a fried egg — the runny yolk becomes part of the sauce.

• •

  Croque Provençal: add tomato slices inside.

Storage

Best eaten immediately. Assemble components ahead and grill to order.

Frequently Asked Questions