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Croque Monsieur

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This Traditional Croque Monsieur is Rich & Creamy with a Crunchy Bite. Its a classic Parisian sandwich made with gruyere, ham and a simple béchamel sauce.

Croque-Monsieur sliced in half and garnished with sliced parsley

What is it & Where Does It Come From?

Croque Monsieur is a Parisian ham & cheese sandwich that originates from Paris. It uses classic French techniques and recipes like béchamel sauce and local ingredients like Pain de Mie, Jambon de Paris, Gruyere & Dijon Mustard. Its first appearance was in a Parisian café back in 1910.

Ingredient Information & Alternatives

There are only a few ingredients in a Croque Monsieur so its important to use the best ones available. Especially as each ingredient drastically compliments the other.

Pain de Mie (Bread) – This is the foundation of the sandwich, so its important to get good quality bread. Pain de Mie is a soft sandwich bread with very little crust. You want to either get a pain de mie or good quality sandwich bread from the bakery. I prefer to buy an unsliced loaf so I can cut thick slices for the Croque Monsieur.

Gruyère (Cheese) – Even know Gruyère is from Switzerland and this is a Parisian sandwich, it was available at the time of its creation in Paris, which is why its used in the recipe. Gruyère adds a lot of richness, creaminess and overall deliciousness to the sandwich. If you can not find Gruyère, try using Comte or Emmental.

Jambon de Paris (Ham) – The traditional choice is Jambon de Paris, which is a unsmoked wet cured ham. Its like a good quality sandwich ham from the supermarket or butchers. If you can’t find Jambon de Paris use a unsmoked good quality sliced ham.

Dijon (Mustard) – Dijon Mustard is the go to mustard when it comes to a Croque Monsieur. Its seasoned with verjuice which gives it a slightly acidic kick that adds contrast and flavour to the sandwich. The next best mustard would be a ‘French or ‘Yellow’ mustard.

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Croque-Monsieur sliced in half and garnished with sliced parsley

Croque Monsieur

Jack Slobodian
This Traditional Croque Monsieur is Rich & Creamy with a Crunchy Bite. Its a classic Parisian sandwich made with gruyere, ham and a simple béchamel sauce.
No ratings yet
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Snack
Cuisine French
Servings 4 People
Calories 659 kcal

Equipment

  • Small Saucepan
  • Large Sauté Pan

Ingredients
 
 

  • 8 slices Pain de Mie good quality white bread
  • 8 slices Jambon de Paris good quality ham
  • 200 g Gruyère finely sliced
  • 4 tsps Dijon Mustard
  • 4 knobs Butter for cooking

Béchamel Sauce (Optional)

  • 30 g Butter
  • 30 g Flour
  • 300 ml Milk
  • Nutmeg freshly grated
  • Sea salt

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 200c

Béchamel Sauce (optional)

  • Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Add the flour and mix to make your roux, cook for 2-3 minutes mixing constantly to make sure there are no lumps. Whisk in a little of the milk at a time, stirring continuously until you have incorporated all the milk. Then bring to boil, remove from the heat, season with nutmeg and salt then cover in cling film until ready to use.

Assemble

  • Lay out 4 slices of bread on a board, thinly spread Dijon all the way to the edges. Then add Ham and Gruyère, place the remaining slices on top to make 4 sandwiches.
  • Melt butter in large frying pan and add 2 sandwiches and fry each side for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Once ready take off and place on a baking tray. Repeat this method until all sandwiches are finished.
  • Once all the sandwiches are fried and on the baking tray spread a layer of bechamel to the edge of each sandwich then top with Gruyère. Bake at 200’c for 4-5 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

Nutrition

Calories: 659kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 35gFat: 42gSaturated Fat: 22gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 129mgSodium: 1274mgPotassium: 376mgFiber: 2gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 974IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 732mgIron: 3mg
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