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croque monsieur

Rustic regional dishes & savoury baking

Croque Monsieur

By Emma Freud

Toasted sourdough, smoked ham and melting Gruyère give this croque monsieur a generous crunch and a soft, savoury centre. Emma Freud adds an infused béchamel with Dijon and nutmeg, then coats the assembled sandwiches with more sauce and cheese before baking. A little mustard mayonnaise alongside adds another sharp note. Serve while the top is golden and the cheese is still warm, for a substantial lunch or an unhurried brunch.

Prep
20 min
Cook
30 min
Total
50 min
Serves2
Nutrition
Jump to recipe ↓BBC Good Food ↗

Ingredients

Sandwiches

Béchamel

Mustard mayonnaise

Method

  1. Heat milk, cream, garlic, bay and onion until nearly boiling. Switch off; infuse 10 minutes. Strain; discard bay and onion.
  2. Gently cook sauce butter/flour until biscuity. Gradually whisk in warm infused milk; gently boil, stirring. Add sauce mustard, nutmeg and seasoning.
  3. Brush bread with melted butter. Grill buttered sides until golden. Heat oven to 220°C / 428°F, or 200°C / 392°F fan.
  4. Turn bread over. Spread Dijon, then béchamel; add Gruyère and ham. Form two sandwiches; top with more béchamel and Gruyère. Bake 10–15 minutes until golden.
  5. Mix mustard and mayonnaise; serve alongside.

Equipment

Two small saucepans; Fine sieve; Whisk; Pastry brush; Baking tray; Grill/broiler and oven

Notes

  • Flavoured milk: take the milk and cream off the heat near boiling and give the onion, garlic and bay ten minutes to infuse. Strain before making the sauce.
  • Roux: cook butter and flour gently to a biscuity smell. Whisk in the warm infusion gradually, stirring as the sauce comes to a gentle boil.
  • Bread: grill the buttered side until golden. Spread Dijon and sauce on the reverse side before adding Gruyère and ham.
  • Finishing: leave enough béchamel and Gruyère to cover the tops of the two sandwiches. Bake until golden, then serve with the separately mixed mustard mayonnaise.

Photos

1 photo
Croque monsieurServingToasted ham and Gruyère sandwiches

Croque Monsieur

Recipe photos

About this dish

The croque monsieur has a long place in French café cooking, combining buttered bread, ham and Gruyère in a hot sandwich. Béchamel is one familiar variation, rather than a requirement of every version. The exact origin is uncertain, but the name was already in use when Proust published À l’ombre des jeunes filles en fleurs in 1919.

In the novel, Madame de Villeparisis has ordered croque-monsieur and eggs in cream at the hotel after a concert.

Freud builds hers around a carefully flavoured béchamel. Onion, garlic and bay infuse milk and cream before Dijon and nutmeg are added. The bread is toasted on its buttered side, filled on the other, then baked beneath more sauce and cheese. Sourdough or crusty white bread supports that generous filling, with mustard mayonnaise providing a sharper accompaniment.

Recipe and cooking notes adapted from BBC Good Food.