Croque monsieur

Ingredients

Sandwich

• 8thick slices good white bread
• 8 slicesgood ham
• 200 gGruyère or Comté, grated
• 60 gbutter, softened
• Dijon mustard

Béchamel

• 40 gbutter
• 40 gplain flour
• 400 mlwhole milk
• grated nutmeg
• salt and white pepper
• 50 gGruyère, grated

For a croque madame

• 4eggs

Directions

1. Make the béchamel first: melt the butter, stir in the flour and cook it for 2 minutes without letting it colour, then add the milk gradually while whisking and cook until thick.
2. Season with nutmeg, salt and white pepper, then stir in 50 g of the grated cheese off the heat.
3. Make it thick, considerably thicker than a pouring sauce, so that it sits on top of the sandwich rather than running off it. The béchamel is the defining element and it is exactly what separates a croque monsieur from a toasted ham sandwich.
4. Butter the bread on the outside faces only.
5. Spread a thin layer of mustard on the inside, then a thin layer of béchamel, then the ham, then grated cheese, and close the sandwiches.
6. Fry them in a pan in butter over a medium heat for about 3 minutes a side until golden, or toast them under a grill.
7. Move them to a baking tray, spread the remaining béchamel thickly over the tops and scatter the rest of the cheese over that.
8. Grill for 3 to 4 minutes, until bubbling and browned in patches.
9. For a croque madame, top each one with a fried egg.
10. Serve at once with a green salad and cornichons.

Technique

• It was recorded on a Paris café menu in 1910 and mentioned by Proust in 1918. It is a worked-up version of the plain café ham sandwich.
• Use bread with some structure. Soft sliced bread collapses under the weight of the béchamel.
• The madame is said to be named for the fried egg resembling a woman’s hat, which may or may not be true and is repeated everywhere.

Substitutions

• Emmental or a good mature cheddar in place of Gruyère.
• Crème fraîche thinned with a little milk, if you cannot face making béchamel.

Variations

• Croque madame, with a fried egg on top.
• Croque provençal, with tomato added.
• Croque norvégien, made with smoked salmon instead of ham.

History

Recorded on a Paris café menu in 1910 and mentioned by Marcel Proust in 1918; it is a worked-up version of the café ham sandwich.

Frequently asked questions

What is Croque monsieur?

Croque monsieur is a snack from France: grilled ham-and-cheese sandwich glazed with béchamel. Recorded on a Paris café menu in 1910 and mentioned by Marcel Proust in 1918; it is a worked-up version of the café ham sandwich.

How long does Croque monsieur take to make?

Croque monsieur takes 20 min of preparation and 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 sandwiches. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Croque monsieur?

Yes, within limits. Emmental or a good mature cheddar in place of Gruyère. Crème fraîche thinned with a little milk, if you cannot face making béchamel.

What is the most important thing to get right in Croque monsieur?

Make it thick, considerably thicker than a pouring sauce, so that it sits on top of the sandwich rather than running off it. The béchamel is the defining element and it is exactly what separates a croque monsieur from a toasted ham sandwich.