Croque monsieur

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Well worth the extra effort for a delicious meal. Serve French onion soup as a starter for a truly Parisian supper!

Serves 2

Preparation time: 30 minutes maximum

Cooking time: 25 minutes 

Ingredients

For the béchamel sauce

    • 200 ml warm milk
    • 20 g plain flour 
    • 20 g butter
    • 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard 
    • Salt and pepper
    • 1/2 tsp of freshly grated nutmeg (or use ground)
      For the croque monsieur
    • 4 slices bread
    • 4 slices of ham
    • 100 g of Emmental cheese or Gruyere (or a mixture of both) + 50 g for topping

Method

Melt the butter in a pan and then add the flour before cooking over a gentle heat until it smells biscuity. Gradually whisk in the warm milk and bring to a gentle boil, stirring regularly. When thickened add the Dijon mustard, a little grating of fresh nutmeg and seasoning. It should be a lovely thick creamy sauce.

Set aside to cool slightly.

Place the bread on a baking tray and toast one side under the grill until golden.

Preheat the oven to 200C Fan.

On the non-toasted side each piece of bread, spread a generous layer of béchamel sauce. Cover the sauce with a slice of ham and a good layer of grated cheese 

Take two slices of the covered bread and put together to form a sandwich. You should end up with two sandwiches.

Spread a thin layer of béchamel sauce over the top of each sandwich and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.

Bake in the oven for 10–15 minutes until golden and bubbling.

Leave to cool for at least 5 minutes before eating (if you can!).

 Serve with a green salad.

My tips

It is worth investing in good quality, thick cut ham.

Freshly sliced white bread from a whole loaf works best but you can use sliced white at a pinch.

Although it adds an extra depth of flavour, the mustard can be omitted.

Be mindful that Dijon mustard is softer and has a different flavour to English mustard.  Incidentally, the dark brown "French mustard" found on UK supermarket shelves is not the same as Dijon mustard and does not exist in France!

Add a fried egg on the top for a croque Madame!




 

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