Croque Monsieur

A Croque-Monsieur is a hot ham and cheese sandwich.  I saw it all over the menus in Paris, but never new what it was until I decided to order one at a restaurant just below the famed Sacré-Cœur Basilica.  I had my first attempt at making a "Croque" at home the other day, and I thought I would share it with you.

I decided to use a recipe from the Martha Stewart website as I find her recipes are usually quite good.  The recipe yields 4 sandwiches.  I only made 2 sandwiches, so I just cut the recipe in half.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for baking sheet
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup Gruyere or Swiss cheese, grated, plus 8 ounces, thinly sliced
• Coarse salt
• Freshly ground white pepper
• Freshly ground nutmeg
• 8 slices brioche, cut 1/2-inch thick, toasted
• 6 ounces baked ham, thinly sliced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Butter a baking sheet; set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add flour, and cook until foaming, whisking constantly, for 3 minutes.

3.  In another medium saucepan, heat milk over medium heat. Slowly add milk to butter-flour mixture, whisking to prevent lumps from forming. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and cook 2 minutes more. Stir in 1/2 cup grated cheese, and season with salt, white pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne. Cook until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl, and set aside to cool.

4.  Place 4 pieces of toast on a work surface and spread each piece with a 1/4 cup of sauce. Cover sauce with a slice of cheese, a slice of ham, and another slice of cheese. Top each sandwich with remaining 4 slices of toast. Spread each sandwich with 1/4 cup sauce and sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/2 cup grated cheese.

5.  Place sandwiches on prepared baking sheet, and bake until heated through, about 5 minutes. Preheat broiler; transfer baking sheet to broiler and broil until golden brown and bubbly, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

I couldn't find any brioche bread, so I just ended up using another French bread and it turned out fine. 

I prefer my ham a little thicker than thinner which is why I sliced it a little wider than normal. 

I had never bought gruyère cheese before, but it is actually quite tasty.  I found it to have a more strong taste than the average cheese, but quite good nonetheless. 

A croque-monsieur with a pouched or fried egg on top is known as a croque-madame.  Have you ever tried one of these sandwiches??

xo Ceilidh