French recipe
How to make Croque monsieur
Paris cafés
A hot toasted sandwich of ham and melted cheese, usually Gruyère, sometimes covered with béchamel sauce. With a fried or poached egg on top it becomes a croque madame.
Ingredients
- 8 slices of white sandwich bread
- Soft butter for spreading
- 4 slices of cooked ham
- 150 g Gruyère or Comté cheese, grated
- For the béchamel: 20 g butter, 20 g flour, 250 ml milk, a pinch of nutmeg
Method
- Heat the oven to 200°C.
- Make the béchamel: melt the butter, stir in the flour for a minute, then whisk in the milk and stir until thick. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
- Butter the bread. Put a slice of ham and some cheese between each pair of slices, buttered sides out.
- Place the sandwiches on a baking tray, spread béchamel on top and cover with the rest of the cheese.
- Bake for about 10 minutes, then grill for a few minutes until the top is golden and bubbling.
Made it at home? Tick it off and it goes into your kitchen passport.
'Croque' comes from the French word for 'crunch', and 'monsieur' means 'mister'.
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