Croque monsieur/ madame

Croque monsieur/madame is a French sandwich made by layering ham and cheese, topped with béchamel sauce, and baked until golden.

Ingredients

IngredientQty.Unit
White Bread (slices, preferably thick)10Count
Ham (sliced)500Grams
Gruyere Cheese (grated)300Grams
Butter (unsalted)100Grams
All-purpose Flour30Grams
Whole Milk500Milliliters
Nutmeg (freshly grated)1Tsp
Salt1Tsp
Black Pepper (freshly ground)1Tsp
Eggs (for Croque Madame)5Count

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
  2. Melt 50 grams of butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk continuously for 2 minutes to form a roux.
  3. Gradually add milk to the roux, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens into a béchamel sauce. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
  4. Spread a thin layer of béchamel sauce on each slice of bread.
  5. Layer half of the bread slices with ham and half of the grated Gruyere cheese. Top with the remaining bread slices, béchamel side down.
  6. Melt the remaining butter in a skillet and toast each sandwich until golden brown on both sides.
  7. Place the sandwiches on a baking sheet. Spread more béchamel sauce on top and sprinkle with the remaining Gruyere cheese.
  8. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and golden.
  9. For Croque Madame, fry eggs sunny-side up and place one on top of each sandwich before serving.

Kitchen equipment

WhiskBaking SheetGrater