Croque Monsieur

 

Croque Monsieur

Who doesn’t love a cheesy grilled cheese sandwich? I took a classic grilled cheese up a notch by making it a French Croque Monsieur! This French masterpiece layers ham and melted goodness beneath creamy béchamel sauce. Whisk warm milk into your roux for that dreamy texture. Serve piping hot, topped with Gruyère or Havarti, then broil until golden. Add an egg to create the irresistible Croque Madame!

The cheese and béchamel sauce are delightful, but the real standout is the Sliced Ham—it truly elevates this sandwich.

Croque Monsieur

Servings: 2 sandwiches

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons of butter

2 Tablespoons of flour

1 1/2 cups whole milk

salt and pepper to taste

4 slices favorite bread

6 slices of white cheese like Gruyere, Havarti, or Swiss cheese

4 slices of Sliced Ham

Instructions

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Prepare grilled cheese by buttering one side of each piece of bread. On the non-buttered side, layer one slice of cheese and two pieces of sliced ham. 

Top with other pieces of buttered bread and place the sandwich in a warm skillet, butter side down. Cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side until cheese is melty. You can either make the other sandwich in the same pan or make it after the first. Then, toss on a sheet pan and place in a warm oven (about 250 degrees F is fine).

Prepare bechamel sauce while grilled cheese is cooking or staying warm in the oven. Warm milk in a small pot. In a separate pot, melt butter in a pot, then add flour whisking to combine. 

Gently add warm milk to the cooked butter/flour, whisking constantly to combine. Bring it to a boil to let it thicken. Then, let it simmer and cook for another 2-3 minutes until desired consistency. 

Remove grilled cheese from oven then gently pour bechamel sauce over top. I suggest doing this on a sheet pan that can get a little messy. 

Then, top the sandwiches with two more slices of cheese and use a culinary torch or the broiler to melt the cheese on top. 

Serve with a bowl of hot tomato soup and I like to also serve with a dollop of horseradish mustard to help truly elevate this sandwich. That’s the way it was served to me in Paris. And oh my god it was so good. Enjoy! 

 Elizabeth Kilbride is a Writer and Editor with forty years of experience in writing with 12 of those years in the online content sphere. Author of 5 books and a Graduate with an Associate of Arts from Phoenix University in Business Management, then a degree. Mass Communication and Cyber Analysis from Ashford University, then on to Walden University for her master’s in criminology with emphasis on Cybercrime and Identity Theft and is currently studying for her Ph.D. degree in Criminology. Her work portfolio includes coverage of politics, current affairs, elections, history, and true crime. Elizabeth is also a gourmet cook, life coach, and avid artist in her spare time, proficient in watercolor, acrylic, oil, pen and ink, Gouche, and pastels. As a political operative having worked on over 300 campaigns during her career, Elizabeth has turned many life events into books and movie scripts while using history to weave interesting storylines. She also runs 7 blogs that range from art to life coaching, to food, to writing, Gardening, and opinion or history pieces each week. 

French Fare, Potpourri of Frugality. Kilbride