If you have not heard of it, a Croque Monsieur sandwich is a hot, cheesy baked sandwich full of ham and gruyere cheese and topped with something akin to a béchamel sauce. It’s a “fork and knife” sandwich for sure. It is a French dish, and is often served at a fancy brunch or at the holidays. It is simply one of the best sandwiches you will ever eat! Often this sandwich is served with an egg on top and if so it becomes a “Croque Madame” instead. The egg is cooked over-easy separately, then carefully placed on top for serving. This version gives you the yummy yolk on top of the sandwich to make it even more of a delicacy.
TIPS: You can add as much or as little ham as you want to this sandwich, just remember it is pretty rich and a little goes a long way. Sandwich slices of ham work better than thick slices of baked ham as it’s not as hard to cut through when eating. I like rustic bread, not too thick for this recipe, but in a pinch sandwich bread will do. Some people advocate for removing the bread crust and you certainly can, although I like the crunch of the crust when toasted. This recipe makes a fair bit of béchamel sauce and you may not use it all, but we do as we love it saucy! You can easily double this recipe.
Croque Monsieur
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 1 1/2 C milk
- 1 C Gruyere cheese shredded (separated)
- 1/4 C Parmesan cheese grated
- pinch of nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 4 thin slices rustic french or Italian bread (1/4-1/2 inch thick)
- dijon mustard
- 4 oz baked Virginia ham sliced thin (but not paper thin)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees with oven rack in the center of the oven.
Sauce:
- Melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan. Add the flour and whisk, cooking for about 2 minutes until a tan colored roux is formed. Slowly pour the milk into the roux and whisk constantly until the sauce has thickened, about 4-5 minutes. (If it seems super thick you may add a touch more milk and cook it in for a couple of minutes). Remove from heat and add salt, pepper, pinch of nutmeg, 1/2 cup shredded gruyere and the parmesan and whisk until smooth. Set aside.
Sandwich:
- To toast the bread, place the slices on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes. Turn each slice and bake for another 2-3 minutes until toasted. Remove from oven.
- Lightly brush half of the bread slices with dijon mustard. Add slices of ham to the dijon coated toasts. Pile most of the remaining gruyere cheese across each ham covered toast. Top the sandwich with other pieces of bread. Slather tops of the sandwiches with the cheese sauce, then top with the remaining gruyere cheese.
- Bake the sandwiches for 5 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil for about 3 minutes until the top is bubbly and slightly browned.
- Transfer each sandwich to a plate to serve. (If you are having "Croque Madame" then top each sandwich with a cooked over-easy egg.)
- Enjoy!