Croque Monsieur and Madame
Croque Monsieur is a classic bistro cafè style french sandwich (think sophisticated ham and cheese) best served on Pain de Mie or any Brioche-like bread with ham, Gruyère cheese and Béchamel sauce and traditionally baked in the oven. Add a poached or sunny side up egg, and it becomes the Croque Madame.
Ingredients
For the béchamel sauce:
- 3 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 3 tbsp Flour
- 2 cups milk, whole
- to taste Salt and Pepper
- a pinch of Nutmeg freshly-grated
For the sandwiches:
- a couple dabs Softened butter for spreading
- 8 slices Pain de Mie *recipe link below
- 2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 4 1/4 oz Baked Ham
- 2 1/2 cups Gruyère cheese grated
- 4 eggs optional
Instructions
Make the béchamel sauce:
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
- Add all the milk at once, and whisk constantly until very thick. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Set aside.
Prepare the sandwiches:
- Spread four (4) slices of pain de mie each with 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard, sprinkle each with 1/2 cup of grated Gruyère cheese, and top with a piece of ham.
- Place the remaining slices of pain de mie on top. Butter tops and bottoms of the sandwich and cook slowly on a flat griddle until lightly golden on both sides.
- Preheat the broiler, and place rack 4-5 inches from the heat. Place sandwiches on a cookie sheet – or in gratin dishes for serving - and spoon about 1/2 cup of the béchamel sauce on top of each sandwich, letting it run down the sides.
- Sprinkle the four (4) sandwiches with the remaining 1/2 cup Gruyère cheese.
- Slide the sandwiches under the broiler and remove them when golden brown on top. Serve immediately. Steamed asparagus or a salad makes an excellent side.
Notes
Not surprisingly our chef David makes his own Cocoa and Lavender Pain de Mie - click here for the recipe.
To make a Croque Madame, simply top the sandwich with a sunny-side-up fried egg.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!