Café Counter · Grilled Sandwich

Croque Monsieur

Name: Croque Monsieur recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 sandwiches servings
Ingredients: For the béchamel: 25 g (2 tablespoons) butter, 25 g (3 tablespoons) plain flour, 300 ml (1¼ cups) whole milk, a pinch of grated nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon salt, a pinch of black pepper; For the sandwiches: 8 slices of white sandwich bread, 4 large slices of cooked ham (or 8 thin ones), 200 g (about 2 cups) grated Gruyère, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (optional), 25 g (2 tablespoons) softened butter

Croque Monsieur — street food from France

Photo via Pexels/Unsplash — free for commercial use

It first appeared on a Paris café menu around 1910, and Marcel Proust mentions it in In Search of Lost Time a few years later.

A croque monsieur is grilled ham and Gruyère cheese between slices of bread, topped with more cheese and browned until crisp — sold hot from café counters and takeaway windows across France. Add a fried egg on top and it becomes a croque madame.

Why it's made this way: It grew up as a quick snack in Paris cafés and bars, and its name comes from croquer, 'to crunch'.

What is Croque Monsieur?

A croque monsieur is a hot ham and cheese sandwich from France. Ham and Gruyère go between two slices of white bread, which is then topped with more cheese, often with a layer of creamy béchamel sauce too, and baked or grilled until golden and bubbling. It is a staple of Parisian cafés and brasseries and is sold hot at counters and takeaway windows.

It is usually traced to a Paris café on the Boulevard des Capucines around 1910, and Marcel Proust mentions it in In Search of Lost Time in 1918. The name comes from croquer, 'to crunch'. Stories about who first made it are many and hard to verify. Add a fried egg on top and it becomes a croque madame.

How to make croque monsieur with béchamel

Serves 4 sandwiches · prep 20 min · cook 25 min

Ingredients

For the béchamel: 25 g (2 tablespoons) butter, 25 g (3 tablespoons) plain flour, 300 ml (1¼ cups) whole milk, a pinch of grated nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon salt, a pinch of black pepper
For the sandwiches: 8 slices of white sandwich bread, 4 large slices of cooked ham (or 8 thin ones), 200 g (about 2 cups) grated Gruyère, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (optional), 25 g (2 tablespoons) softened butter

Method

Heat the oven to 220 °C (200 °C fan, gas 7) and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Make the béchamel: melt the 25 g butter in a small pan over medium heat, stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute without browning. Add the milk a little at a time, whisking well after each addition, then simmer gently for 3–4 minutes until it coats the back of a spoon. Season with the nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Spread the softened butter over one side of each slice of bread. Lay the slices on the tray butter-side up and toast in the oven for 4–5 minutes, until just pale gold.
Put 4 slices on the tray toasted-side down, so the untoasted side faces up. Spread each with a little mustard if using, then a spoonful of béchamel, then a slice of ham and about 25 g (¼ cup) of the Gruyère. Close with the remaining slices, toasted-side down against the filling.
Spoon the remaining béchamel over the tops, spreading it to the edges, then scatter over the remaining 100 g Gruyère.
Bake for 10–12 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden in patches. For more colour, finish for 1–2 minutes under a hot grill. Let the sandwiches stand for 2 minutes before serving, as the filling is very hot.

Tips

Use a firm, square white sandwich bread. Very soft bread turns soggy under the sauce.
Gruyère melts best when grated fresh. Pre-grated cheese often contains anti-caking starch and melts less smoothly.
Make the béchamel fairly thick. A thin sauce runs off the sandwich and burns on the tray.
Whisk constantly as you add the milk so the sauce stays smooth. If it does go lumpy, whisk hard or pass it through a sieve.

Regional versions

Croque madame: top each finished croque monsieur with a fried egg. Cook the egg until the white is fully set if you prefer to avoid runny egg.
Some cafés skip the béchamel and simply grill ham and cheese in the bread, in a pan or sandwich press.
Modern versions swap in Emmental, Comté or smoked ham, or add a slice of tomato.

Questions

What is a croque monsieur?

A French grilled or baked ham and cheese sandwich, typically made with white bread, ham and Gruyère, often with béchamel sauce and more cheese on top.

What is the difference between a croque monsieur and a croque madame?

A croque madame is a croque monsieur with a fried egg on top. The sandwich underneath is the same.

What cheese goes in a croque monsieur?

Gruyère is the classic choice. Emmental or Comté also work.

Can I make croque monsieur ahead?

You can make the béchamel a day ahead and keep it covered in the fridge, then assemble and bake the sandwiches just before serving. They are best eaten straight from the oven.