Croque Monsieur

Submitted by cali_love

"From Barefoot Contessa"

 

• Ready In: 30mins
• Ingredients: 11
• Serves: 4-8

ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups hot milk
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 pinch nutmeg
• 12 ounces gruyere, grated (5 cups)
• 1⁄2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 16 slices white bread, crusts removed
• Dijon mustard
• 8 ounces baked virginia ham, sliced but not paper thin

directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan and add the flour all at once, stirring with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Slowly pour the hot milk into the butter–flour mixture and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thickened. Off the heat add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, 1/2 cup grated Gruyere, and the Parmesan and set aside.
3. To toast the bread, place the slices on 2 baking sheets and bake for 5 minutes. Turn each slice and bake for another 2 minutes, until toasted.
4. Lightly brush half the toasted breads with mustard, add a slice of ham to each, and sprinkle with half the remaining Gruyere. Top with another piece of toasted bread. Slather the tops with the cheese sauce, sprinkle with the remaining Gruyere, and bake the sandwiches for 5 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the topping is bubbly and lightly browned. Serve hot.

Reviews

[under12parsecs]

Amazing. Simply amazing. I would love to eat this sandwich every single day if it weren't for that pesky little thing called a waistline.... This is creamy, crispy, savory, cheesy decadence in sandwich form. Love the nutmeg in the cheese sauce! Thanks for posting this gem cali_love!

 

[Liza at Food.com]

Yum, yummy, yummers! This is the bomb dot com, it truly is. We like to even turn it into a croque madame and stick and egg on top (hubby loves it that way). Could there be a more satisfying and scrumptious dinner with a glass of good red wine? Mais non! thanks so much for posting!

 

[vusandra]

I like how this recipe is crispy and not pan fried in butter. Another croque monsieur recipe #234010 calls for the bread to be dipped in egg batter. I made both recipes and this one came out better in crispness. The cheese sauce also makes this sandwich much tastier. The cheese sauce is fairly easy to make, just make sure the heat is set to around medium so that the milk-flour mixture can thicken. I didn't remove the crusts and they blackened pretty quickly in the oven. I would also toast the bread maybe 3-4 mins on the first side, not 5 mins. I left out the dijon on half the sandwiches for those who don't like mustard. I made this for lunch and ate with salt & pepper potato chips and some greens.

 

[ninja]

This may be one of the most delectable things I've ever eaten! If you like a good ham and cheese sandwich, you'll love this. The fact that it's not fried is an added plus, and I'm amazed that something so easy to put together could taste so good. It's no wonder that this is one of the most popular sandwiches in France. Just Delicious!! Thanks for sharing!

 

[sekretoktober24]

This was such a good sandwich! Although I didn't have any dijon and had to use chicken instead of ham, it still came out really good! I also don't have a broiler that works, so I just used the oven until the cheese looked melted. I only used 6 large pieces of bread for the sandwiches and cut them in half for a late night snack for the kids and I. My 14yr son wants these sandwiches for his birthday dinner. And the extra cheese? Well that made a nice macaroni with white cheese sauce for the kids the next day. So now we all have two new favorite recipes. The husband just couldn't eat the cheese sauce, but we out-voted him, so we don't care!!!! Enjoy this recipe!!!