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
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Butter a baking sheet; set aside.
- 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
