Croque Monsieur is just a grilled ham and cheese sandwich with a little extra love. It’s quick enough for a weeknight dinner and way better than your boring ham and cheese sandwich. You make it using white bread: either a crusty French-style loaf or good old Pepperidge Farm hearty white. You want to stay away from whole wheat and sourdough, since the bread flavor will cover the delicate flavor of the sandwich itself. Using good French bread will result in crusty sandwiches, with a bit of crunch: that is what croque means!
The whole secret of this sandwich is the simple bechamel sauce you spread on the bread. It is particularly helpful if you are making these sandwiches from left-over baked ham, which may have dried out a bit. The bechamel brings it back to life!
You can make these sandwiches in a sandwich grill, a griddle, or a cast iron frying pan: use whatever works best for you.
- 1 Tb unsalted butter
- 1 Tb flour
- ¾ cup milk
- Sea salt
- Freshly grated nutmeg
- 4 slices country white bread
- 4 thin slices of ham
- 2 thin slices Gruyere cheese
- 4 Tb melted unsalted butter
The bechamel sauce
- Melt the 1 Tb of butter in a saucepan until it’s bubbling but not browing.
- Stir in the 1 Tb flour and cook for a minute.
- Add the milk and stir with a wire whisk.
- Cook it down until the bechamel thickens.
- Add a dash of sea salt and a pinch of fresh nutmeg.
The sandwiches
- Spread two slices of the bread with the bechamel.
- Add two slices of ham to each slice of bread.
- Add cheese to cover the ham.
- Top the sandwich with the other slices of bread.
- Melt the 4 Tb of butter in a microwave at 50% power for about 1 minute.
- Brush the ham sides with the melted butter and put the buttered side down on the grill or griddle. Brush butter on the top sides, as well, and close the sandwich grill, or cook on the griddle and flip the cook the second side.
- Cook until the cheese is melted and serve at once.
Variation
Some people like to spread the bechamel on the top of the sandwich, and sprinkle it with grated Swiss or Parmesan cheese, and brown the sandwich under a broiler. This is delicious as well, and since the sauce and cheese are browned, it is not particularly messy to eat. Make me another one, please!
