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Ham and cheese is as traditional of a sandwich as they come. But the croque monsieur takes it to a whole new level. The french sandwich layers rich bechamel sauce on ham and cheese and it all gets baked until bubbly. How could you turn that down?
The Gentleman’s Sandwich
The croque monsieur gets its origins from France in the early 1900’s. The name comes from the french word croquer (“to bite”), and monsieur (“mister”). The traditional sandwich starts with a bread similar to brioche called pain de mie. Layered with bechamel sauce, ham, and emmental or gruyere cheese, topped with more sauce and cheese, the whole thing gets baked or grilled so a nice crust forms.
There are some other variations of the sandwich that you may also be familiar with. The croque madame is a croque monsieur with a fried egg on top. Some say the name change, madame (“woman”) is because the egg resembles a woman’s hat. The monte cristo is another variation where the whole sandwich is dipped in an egg batter and fried. It is sometimes referred to as a toasted ham and cheese or a french toasted sandwich.
How to Make a Croque Monsieur
To make the sandwich, you will need to start with a bechamel sauce. A bechamel, one of the 5 “mother sauces” in French cuisine, is a milk based sauce thickened with a roux. Start with a quarter cup of flour and butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Whisk and continue cooking until it reaches a light golden brown color. Slowly pour in 2 cups of milk and whisk until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and not run back together when you drag a finger through it. Season with 2 tsp of dijon mustard, 1/4 tsp of nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste.
Now ingredients like pain de mie and emmental may be a little difficult to find, so this recipe improvises a bit. Take 4 slices of brioche and lay them on a lined baking sheet. Spoon 2 tbsps of the bechamel onto each slice of bread and spread to the edges. On 3 of the slices, layer on an even amount of 1/2 lb of sliced ham and 1/2 cup each of shredded gruyere and fontina. Top with the other 3 slices, sauce side down.
Spoon 2 more tbsp of bechamel on each sandwich and and 1/2 more of each cheese. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown and bubbling. Allow it to cool for a few minutes so the sandwich can firm up. Slice in half and enjoy!
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Croque Monsieur
Ingredients
- ¼ cup flour
- ¼ cup butter
- 2 cups milk
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- salt and pepper to taste
- 6 slices brioche bread
- ½ lb cooked sliced ham
- 1 cup gruyere cheese shredded
- 1 cup fontina cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°
- In a sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter and add flour. Whisk and allow to cook until the mixture turns a light golden brown.
- Slowly pour in milk and whisk constantly until the mixture has thickened enough to coat a spoon and stay separated when a finger is run through it. Season with nutmeg, mustard, salt and pepper to taste.
- Lay bread sliced on a lined sheet pan. Add 2 heaping tbsps of the sauce to each slice and spread to the edges. Top 3 of the slices with ham and half of the cheeses. Top the ham and cheese with the other 3 slices of bread, sauce side down.
- Spread 2 more tbsps of sauce onto each sandwich and top with remaining cheese.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown and bubbling. Cool 5 minutes and serve.
