Cookbooks
Never Say Never to Dolce
A brand-new collection of 50 approachable homemade desserts – from iconic Cannoli to Dolci al Cucchiaio and more – that proves there’s always room for a little sweetness.
Manuela’s Sweet Temptations
A collection of 50 irresistible dessert recipes, from classic Italian treats to modern favorites—including gluten-free options.
The Complete Italian Cookbook: Essential Regional Cooking of Italy
A collection of 50 irresistible dessert recipes, from classic Italian treats to modern favorites—including gluten-free options.
How to Make Croque Monsieur – the Best Ham and Cheese Sandwich
Take your ham and cheese sandwich to the NEXT delicious (and French) level with this cheesy, bubbly and most amazing Croque Monsieur recipe
Why settle for a plain ham and cheese sandwich when you can have one of THESE Croque Monsieur?!?
Just a couple of more ingredients, ten extra minutes of your time and taadaaa: THE ultimate ham and cheese sandwich!
A creamy, cheesy and knock-you-off-your-dining chair AMAZING Croque Monsieur.
Done the way French people (…not Italians for once!) know best 😉
This Croque Monsieur sandwich is all you wish for in a ham and cheese sandwich.
Made with gruyere cheese and a slice or two of tasty ham, squished between two thick slices of bread, drizzled … or drowned (I’ll leave that up to you!) in a delicate and scrumptious béchamel sauce. Toasted to a golden and melty perfection that will not disappoint you.
Ingredients I use for this recipe:
– some tasty cheese (I used gruyere, but Emmental is a good alternative)
– good quality ham (I used Italian prosciutto cotto that I got at a local Italian deli)
– good quality bread (I used white sandwich bread cut in thick slices, but you can experiment with your favorite )
– the usual ingredient for white sauce: butter, flour and milk, flavored with a bit of dijon mustard and a dash of nutmeg. So good!
Start by making the béchamel sauce:
melt the butter in a small sauce pan. Whisk in the flour when melted and cook for a minute or two. Gradually add the milk, while whisking until perfectly smooth.
Cook until dense to your desired consistency. Add a little bit more milk if needed. Flavor with nutmeg and dijon mustard. Season with salt and pepper
To assemble the Croque Monsieur sandwich:
Place the bread on a baking sheet. Drizzle all slices with a layer of béchamel, all the way to the edges. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
Top half of the slices with one or two slices of ham. And close the sandwich (bechamel/cheese side in!), so that you end up with these layers: bread, béchamel, cheese, ham, cheese, béchamel and bread.
Magical combination, right?!?
But wait, that is not all!
The best part of this sandwich, and what makes it the messiest fork-recommended sandwich that you can eat: Top the sandwich with one more layer of béchamel and more shredded gruyere on top.
Bake in upper part of the oven for 5 to 10 minutes until melty, bubbly and golden! And simply amazing!
NOTES:
If the béchamel sauce is not smooth after whisking, you can use an immersion blender which will smooth it out quickly.
You can easily make this Croque Monsieur into a Crocque Madame, you just need to add a fried egg sunny-side up and place it on top of the sandwich.
Ready to try it too?!? Bon Apetit!
Other recipes you might like:
- Spinach Gnudi
- Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms
- Pollo alla Cacciatora
- Creamy Mushroom Chicken
- Pollo alla Pizzaiola
- Creamy Risotto with Asparagus
- Pasta with Creamy Roasted Butternut Squash Sauce
- Italian Bruschetta with Burrata Cheese
- Spaghetti all’Amatriciana
- Spaghetti all Puttanesca
- Step-by-step Authentic Seafood Risotto
- Traditional Frittata di Spaghetti
- Risotto with Smoked Salmon and Zucchini
Video recipe
How to Make Croque Monsieur – the Best Ham and Cheese Sandwich
Take your ham and cheese sandwich to the NEXT delicious (and French) level with this cheesy, bubbly and most amazing Croque Monsieur recipe
Servings:
2
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
20 min
Resting Time
Total Time
30 min
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons (30 gr) butter
- 3 tablespoons (30 gr) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (235 ml) whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
- pinch nutmeg
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 slices (white) bread
- about 4 slices ham
- 6 tablespoons grated gruyere cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425F (215C).
- Start by making the béchamel sauce: In a small saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. As soon as it melts, add the flour and whisk continuously. Cook for about 2 minutes.Add the milk just a bit at the time while whisking continuously, until smooth. Cook for a couple of more minutes or until it reaches the desired thickness. Add a bit more milk if needed. Season with mustard, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Whisk and keep warm.
- Place the bread slices on a baking sheet. Spread a layer of béchamel sauce on all four slices, all the way to the edges. Sprinkle all four with a tablespoon of shredded gruyere cheese.
- Top two of the slices with one or two slices of ham each. Close the two sandwiches with the slice of bread (béchamel/cheese inside the sandwich)
- Spread more of the béchamel sauce on top of the sandwiches and top with more cheese.
- Bake on the upper part of the oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and top is golden and bubbly.
