Croque Monsieur
Course:
Lunch
Ingredients
Bechamel
- 125 millilitres Milk
- 125 millilitres Double Cream
- 25 grams Butter
- 25 grams Plain Flour
- 1⁄4 teaspoons Salt
- Pinch Black Pepper
- Pinch Nutmeg (freshly grated)
Sandwich
- 4 Bread Slice
- Gruyère Cheese
- Ham
- Dijon Mustard
- Butter
Topping
- Gruyère Cheese
- Parmesan Cheese
Notes
I recommend only 1 slice of sourdough because this is A LOT. Use more mustard than you think.
Steps
- Preheat oven to 180°C fan.
- Heat milk and cream: Place milk and cream in a saucepan over medium heat. Heat until steaming, but don't let it boil. Set aside.
- Make roux: Melt butter in a separate small saucepan over medium heat, then turn the heat down to low. Add flour and cook, stirring almost constantly, for 3 minutes. Don't let it brown.
- Add hot milk: While stirring, add half the milk. Once incorporated into the roux, mix in remaining milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
- Thicken: Mix for 30 seconds to a minute or until it thickens into a spreadable and soft butter-like consistency (ie. not runny). If you have lumps, whisk until gone. Remove from heat (it is OK if it cools).
- Meanwhile, heat up a cast iron skillet on medium.
- Spread with Bechamel: Spread half the béchamel over a slice of bread, as though you are buttering them to make normal sandwiches.
- Cheese + Dijon: Top the bread with 2 slices of gruyere or Swiss cheese each (fold as needed to make them fit). Then spread the cheese with half the Dijon Mustard.
- Ham + Dijon: Top with ham, then spread ham with remaining Dijon mustard.
- Top with 2 more slices of cheese (again, folding as needed), then close sandwiches with the other slices.
- Melt butter in a skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Place sandwiches in the skillet, and cook for 2 minutes, pressing down lightly with an egg flip or spatula, until a deep golden brown.
- Turn and cook the other side until golden brown.
- Topping: Slather remaining béchamel thickly on the upper pieces of bread. Sprinkle with Gruyere, then parmesan.
- Bake and broil: Bake 15 minutes, then switch to the grill/broiler for 3 minutes and grill until the top is golden and bubbling.
Source: https://www.recipetineats.com/croque-monsieur-french-ham-cheese-sandwich/#recipe