Croque Monsieur… The Most Popular Sandwich Recipe from France in 2023.
Croque Monsieur… The Most Popular Sandwich Recipe from France in 2023.
Tonight, is a taste of France. Croque Monsieur, a delicious sandwich that originated in the cafes of Paris in the early 20th century. Made with toasted brioche bread, sliced honey maple ham, Gruyere cheese, and a tasty Béchamel sauce made from butter, flour, milk, sugar, fresh ground pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Our Mise En Place for tonight’s dish is
Béchamel Sauce
2 Tablespoons of Flour
1 ¼ Cup of Milk
1 Tablespoon of Sugar
½ Teaspoon of Salt
½ Teaspoon of Pepper
½ Teaspoon of Cinnamon
¼ Teaspoon of Nutmeg
Sandwich
6 Slices of Brioche Bread
Unsalted Butter
16 Slices of Honey Maple Ham
8 Slices (or 8oz of Grated) of Gruyere Cheese
To toast the bread, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place the bread onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and place it in the oven for five to six minutes until the bread is toasted.
Next, we’ll get the Béchamel sauce ready. Put the butter into a small pot on low heat. Once the butter is melted, add in the flour and whisk it for two to three minutes until smooth. Add in the sugar, the nutmeg & cinnamon, and the salt & pepper, and whisk it all together.
By now the bread should be toasted, so remove it from the oven.
Slowly add the milk to the pot and whisk it in. Keep the heat on low; we don’t want the milk to burn. After a few minutes, the Bechamel sauce will thicken. Using a large spoon, begin to put the Bechamel sauce onto the slices of toasted bread. Make sure the sauce coats the bread thoroughly.
We’ll start to build the sandwich with the sliced ham first; try to keep it fluffy by folding the ham into small portions, then add the cheese. We’re using Gouda cheese here, but the traditional Croque Monsieur is made with Gruyere cheese which is shredded. Add another few spoonsful of the Bechamel sauce on top of the cheese, then stack one of the slices of bread on top. Repeat the process with the ham and the cheese and add the last piece of bread to the top of the sandwich. Add some more Bechamel sauce to the bread and then add on another slice of the cheese.
Turn the oven up to 400 degrees and place the Croque Monsieur into the oven for about 10 minutes. You can also place it under the broiler for a minute or two if you like your cheese bubbly and browned.
Place the sandwich onto a cutting board and slice it in half. We’re now ready to plate our dish.
And there it is! A Taste of France! Croque Monsieur made with toasted brioche bread, sliced honey maple ham, Gouda cheese, and topped with a sweet & savory Bechamel sauce.
It was delicious!
Until next time,
Bon Appetit.
Ciao,
Mark