Croque Monsieur
serves 4
The Croque Monsieur is a French classic: good ham, good bread and good cheese enriched with béchamel sauce and served open-faced. Add a fried egg and you can call it a Croque Madame.
Read more about this recipe at Coconut & Lime.
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 pinch nutmeg
1 cup whole milk
4 slices French loaf bread
4 medium-thick slices high-quality ham
4 slices Gruyère or sharp Swiss
prep: 10 minutes
total: 25 minutes
small saucepan
whisk
large skillet
baking sheet
1. For the béchamel sauce, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the flour and nutmeg, a sprinkling of salt and pepper and stir until smooth. Add the milk and whisk together until slightly thickened. Set aside.
2. For each sandwich, heat a large skillet. Place the bread on the ungreased skillet. Place the ham beside the bread on the skillet. Cook for about 1-2 minutes or until the bread is slightly toasted, then flip the bread and the slice of ham and cook 1 additional minute on the other side.
3. Place the ham on top of the bread and turn off the heat. Drizzle with béchamel sauce and top with one slice of cheese. Place the sandwiches on an oven-safe baking sheet and broil for about 2 minutes or until the cheese is hot and bubbly.
4. Remove the sandwiches to a plate and serve.
