Croque Monsieur

Croque Monsieur – classic French comfort food made with ham and cheese sandwich coated in a delicious made-from-scratch Béchamel sauce then fried to golden crisp perfection. It’s a ham and cheese breakfast/brunch meal on a whole new level!

Course Breakfast

Cuisine French

Prep Time 11

Cook Time 9

Total Time 20

Servings sandwiches

Calories 607kcal

Author Imma

Ingredients

2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp grated onion
1 tbsp flour
¾ cup or 6 oz milk
1 bay leaf
¼ cup grated Parmesan/Gruyere cheese
½ tsp salt plus more for seasoning
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
4 thick slices French loaf bread or country bread
4 to 6 slices of good quality ham , about ⅓ pound
4 oz Gruyere cheese grated , divided
Salt to taste
¼ tsp herbes de provence or thyme

Instructions

Bechamel Sauce

In a medium saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat; add onions stir for about a minute or until foaming.
Add flour, continue cooking, stirring frequently for about 1 to 2 minutes or until bubbling. Remove saucepan from heat.
Then gently add milk, whisking constantly, until mixture is smooth, add bay leaf . Return saucepan to heat. Keep stirring with a wooden spoon, for 8 to 10 minutes or until sauce comes to the boil, thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat. Stir in Parmesan, salt and nutmeg. Transfer to a bowl to cool.

For the Bread

Heat a large cast iron skillet or grill pan until hot, brush with half of the butter then place bread on it and brown each side for about 2 minutes.
Transfer to a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining slices of bread sandwiches using the remaining butter.
Top each sandwich with 2 to 3 slices of ham. Combine half of the Gruyere cheese with the béchamel sauce. Adjust for seasoning. Spread a small amount of the Gruyere sauce on top of the ham and top each with another slice of bread.
Spread the remaining béchamel on top of the sandwich . Sprinkle with herbes de provence or thyme.
Broil on low broil until cheese sauce is bubbling and evenly browned, about 2-3 minutes or less. Check every 30 seconds.
Remove and serve with salad.

Notes

Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

Nutrition