The croque
monsieur (“crisp mister”) is a French classic; a toasted ham and cheese sandwich
with a typically Gallic twist of decadence in the form of béchamel sauce. It
appeared on Parisian café menus in 1910, although, as with many sandwiches, the
original creator is unknown; some say that it was a happy accident—the result
of workmen leaving their sandwiches too close to the radiator.
There are many variations on the classic croque,
including the croque madame (with a fried egg on top); the croque provençal
(with tomatoes and herbs); croque norvégien (salmon instead of ham); and croque
Hawaiian (with a slice of pineapple), among others. A classic is a classic,
however, so that’s what you’re getting here.
Makes 2
INGREDIENTS
FOR
THE BÉCHAMEL
SAUCE:
Generous 1¾ cups (425ml) milk
A few black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
A slice of onion
3 tbsp (40g)
butter
¾oz (20g) all-purpose (plain) flour Sea
salt and black pepper, to taste
FOR
THE SANDWICHES:
4 slices sturdy
white bread
Butter, at room temperature
4 slices cooked ham
Gruyère cheese, grated
Dijon mustard, to serve (you may also
consider spreading some mustard inside the sandwich)
To make the béchamel sauce, heat the milk gently
in a saucepan with the peppercorns, bay leaves, and onion. When it reaches
simmering point, take it off the heat and strain into a bowl. Discard the
flavorings.
Melt the butter in a separate saucepan, then mix
in the flour, stirring vigorously to make a smooth paste, or roux. Start adding
the milk slowly, mixing all the time. When about half of it is in, start adding
it in larger quantities. The sauce should be smooth and glossy. Let it cook
gently for about 5 minutes, stirring, then remove from the heat and season with
salt and pepper.
Preheat the broiler (grill) to low.
To make the sandwiches, start
by lightly toasting the bread slices. Spread with butter, then add a layer of
ham, followed by a healthy layer of grated cheese to 2 of the slices. Add a
second slice of toasted bread to each sandwich and top with a good blanket of
the béchamel sauce. Add a little extra cheese on top, if you like.
Place the assembled sandwiches under the broiler
and broil (grill) until the sandwiches are oozing, melting, and generally
looking gorgeous. It’s good to do this slowly in order to make sure that the
cheese inside is melted too. When it’s going nicely, turn up the broiler a bit
to get the top all nice and bubbly. Serve immediately with some mustard.
