Croque Monsieur/Madame
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Croque Monsieur or Madame is the ultimate grilled cheese sandwich!
Author:
Recipe type: Lunch
Cuisine: French
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • for the Béchamel
  • 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup (250 mL) 2% milk
  • Salt & pepper, to taste
  • For the Croque Madame
  • 4 slices country bread, thickly sliced
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 4 slices duBreton Sliced Cooked Ham
  • 1½ cups (approx. 120 g) Emmental (or other) cheese, grated
  • 1 tablespoon Canola Oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon finely diced fresh chives
Instructions
  1. For the Béchamel
  2. In a small pot over medium to high heat, melt the butter. Cook until it starts to bubble and turn slightly brown, approximately 1 minute.
  3. Add the flour, whisking continuously until it starts to clump a little.
  4. Slowly add the milk and continue whisking until sauce is smooth and velvety in texture and is starting to thicken, 2-3 minutes more.
  5. Add salt and pepper. Stir well and remove from heat and leave covered until needed.
  6. For the sandwich
  7. Heat broiler to high (400˚F).
  8. Heat a large griddle pan or skillet over medium-high heat.
  9. Butter each slice of bread on one side and place 2 slices butter side-down in the skillet.
  10. Sprinkle approx. ¼ cup grated cheese on each slice of bread, top with 2 slices of ham and top the ham with ¼ cup more grated cheese.
  11. Spread the unbuttered sides of the remaining bread with about 2 tablspoons of the béchamel then place them, béchamel-side down on the sandwiches.
  12. Cook until the bread underneath is golden and crispy, around 3-4 minutes.
  13. Use a flat plastic spatula to carefully flip the sandwich and cook on the other side a further 3-4 minutes until the bread is crispy and golden and the cheese is starting to melt.
  14. Spread the top of the sandwiches generously with the béchamel sauce, making sure to fully coat the bread. Divide the remaining ½ cup grated cheese between the sandwiches, evenly coating the béchamel.
  15. Place under the broiler (in the griddle pan/ skillet if it's oven ready, otherwise you can transfer to a baking tray lined with parchment paper).
  16. Broil approximately 5-7 minutes (keep an eye on this as all broilers are different) until the cheese and béchamel are bubbling and golden.
  17. Meanwhile, prepare the eggs:
  18. Heat the oil in a medium frying pan over medium to high heat.
  19. Cook eggs to preference (for Sunny Side Up, crack both eggs and fry for approximately 2-3 minutes or until the whites are set while the yolks remain soft).
  20. Place one egg onto each sandwich, garnish with chives and serve hot.
Notes
Adapted from: http://www.dubreton.com/en/recipes/croque-madame-bechamel
Recipe by eat. live. travel. write. at https://www.eatlivetravelwrite.com/2017/02/croque-monsieur-recipe/