This recipe is for The Perfect Croque Monsieur, or The Ultimate Croque Monsieur: Crispy, Cheesy Perfection. It is a really delicious dish which is quite simple to make. You can enjoy it for lunch or maybe with a salad for a more substantial meal in the evening.
Jump to RecipeCroque Monsieur is a very famous French dish, a toasted sandwich with ham and cheese. As ever, there are many variations using other ingredients to suit tastes. Indeed, as a vegetarian alternative I suggest using roasted red peppers instead of ham.
Along with the ham and cheese the sandwich is completed with béchamel sauce. Basically that is just about it. Adding a fried egg on top will turn it into a Croque Madame.
Ingredients for The Perfect Croque Monsieur
Milk – Whole Milk is best though I think semi-skimmed milk would be fine too. This is for the béchamel sauce.
Butter – Unsalted butter, divided into two portions. One for the béchamel sauce and the other for the toast.
Flour – Plain flour, to make a roux for the béchamel sauce.
Nutmeg – Freshly grated is best. This is for the béchamel sauce.
Salt & Pepper – To taste, for the béchamel sauce. Be careful with the salt since there will some in both the ham and the cheese. Of course this is a matter of personal preference.
Cheese – A hard cheese such as Gruyere, Emmental or Cheddar, or a combination of all three.
Ham – A good quality ham. I like thick slices.
Bread – I like the use thick slices of toasting bread but often sourdough or other artisanal bread is used.
Mustard – Dijon Mustard. This is optional but I think it adds something to the croque monsieur.
Process For The Perfect Croque Monsieur
Everything is quite easy. Start by lightly toasting the bread. Spread about a teaspoon of butter on one side of each slice. Then set it aside. Next make the béchamel sauce.
For that melt the butter on a low heat, in a saucepan. Stir in the flour to make a roux. Then cook the roux for 2 minutes. Gradually add in the milk, turning up the heat, whisking constantly to avoid any lumps. When the sauce begins to boil and thicken cook it for 3 minutes, whisking all the while. Then add in a good pinch of nutmeg along with salt and pepper to taste.
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/390F.
Put three slices of toast on a baking tray, butter side up. Smear some Dijon mustard on the three slices of toast. Using about one third of the béchamel spread it over those three slices of toast.
Cover that with a good helping of grated cheese(you will save some cheese to go on top too). Of course you can decide just how much cheese touse. Put the ham on top of the cheese. Use the same amount of béchamel sauce as before and spread it on the unbuttered side of the remaining slices of toast. Put the remaining slices of toast on top of the ham, butter side up, so the béchamel sauce is on the ham. Press the toast down to help everything adhere nicely. Spread the remaining béchamel sauce on the top and cover it with the rest of the cheese.
Bake The Croque Monsieur
Place the baking tray in the oven and cook for 7 to 10m minutes, until the top begins to colour nicely and everything is hot. If you wish you can place it under the grill for a minute or so at the end to add to the colour, but watch it closely.
My Result
My croque monsieur was just about perfect. I cut it in half(the other two were enjoyed by family), while it was still hot and then enjoyed it for lunch. The béchamel sauce was beautifully thick and flavoured. Then all the lovely melted cheese and the thick roasted ham, along with the toasted bread was great too. It all made the perfect lunch.
Another great savoury recipe is Mini Quiche Lorraine
The Ultimate Croque Monsieur: Crispy, Cheesy Perfection
3
servings30
minutes10
minutesKeep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
500 ml whole milk(2 cups + 4 tsp)
42 grams unsalted butter(3 tbsp)
42 grams plain flour(4 tbsp + 1 tsp)
1 pinch grated nutmeg
salt and pepper – to personal taste
6 slices white bread(thick slices)
180 grams ham(6 1/2 oz)
300g grams cheese(10 1/2 oz). Gruyere or simillar
30 ml Dijon mustard(2 tbsp) you may not need it all.
28 grams soft unsalted butter(2 tbsp)
Directions
- Lightly toast the bread.
- Smear about 1 teaspoon of softened butter on one side of each slice. Then set the toast aside.
- Place the 42 grams of butter into a saucepan on a low heat and allow it to melt.
- Whisking constantly, stir in the flour until fully combined into a roux.
- Continue whisking and cook the roux for two minutes.
- Gradually add the milk, whisking all the while and turning up the heat, until all the milk is in the saucepan.
- Continue whisking as the milk comes to a boil.
- Still whisking the sauce cook it for three minutes. There should be no lumps. If you have lumps pass it through a sieve to remove them.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the nutmeg, salt and pepper.
- Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/390F.
- Place three slices of toast, butter side up, on a baking tray.
- Smear a little Dijon mustard onto the three slices.
- Use one third of the béchamel sauce to spread over the three slices.
- Using about two thirds of the cheese, spread it on the béchamel sauce.
- Place the ham on top of the cheese.
- Use another one third of the béchamel sauce to spread over the unbuttered side of the remaining slices of toast.
- Turn those over, and press the bechamel onto the ham. The toast will be butter side up.
- Spread the remaining béchamel sauce on the top of the toast, dividing it equally between the three.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheese on the top, again dividing equally.
- Place the tray into oven and bake the croque monsieurs for 7 to 10 minutes until they are hot and the top is bubbling and starts to colour well. If you wish you can use the grill/broiler for the last minute to so to add extra colour.