This is another recipe from our new French cookbook. Basically as mentioned before these are a really luxury version of a ham and cheese toasted sandwich. It combines white bread, ham, a béchamel sauce and Gruyere cheese. These really are just DIVINE I recommend that you purchase some really lovely ham like Gypsy ham or at the very least double smoked.  And the good quality fresh delicatessen stuff also. This recipe makes between 6-8 depending on how much of the sauce you use. I found that even the ones i had toasted that we did not eat I covered and put into the fried and all I did was reheat them in thy frypan and they were perfect if not better

Tip: If you cannot find Gruyere cheese or find it a bit pricey you could use Parmesan or Romano. (not the rotten socks packet variety)

*The recipe calls to put butter into a frypan and cook the sandwiches. However I found that this uses way to much butter so just butter both sides of the actual sandwiches and it works just as well.

Croque Monsieur

 

80g unsalted Butter

1 Tablespoon plain flour

¾ cup milk

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 egg yolk

Nutmeg

12 Slices white bread

Ham

1 cup grated Gruyere cheese

Butter or margarine for spreading

Melt butter in saucepan add flour and stir for a minute or two (it may froth but just keep stirring) Slowly add milk and mustard Whisking constantly. Leave to simmer until the mixture has thickened and reduced slightly. Remove from heat and stir in egg yolk. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and set aside to cool. 

 

  
 

Place half the bread on a board and top each slice with some ham, them with some of the sauce, then Gruyere and finally with another slice of bread. Butter one half of the bread and place in a frypan. Butter the other side and cook until sandwiches are golden brown on both sides.

Serve and Enjoy.

Tips:  This time round I used ordinary commercially sliced white bread yeah it was OK but I will use a nicer more rustic bread next time from the bakery

-   The sauce can be altered to your tastes i added a bit more mustard than the recipe

-   You want the consistency of your sauce to be thick remember it will also thicken as it cools

 

Comments

[Rocket French]

Wow ! Your Croque-Monsieur makes my mouth water. I want some ! :)

Cathy