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Croque-Monsieur

Source of Recipe

From "Saveur: The New Classics"


Recipe Introduction

"The croque-monsieur � on the menu in any bistro worth its salt � is a classic French ham and cheese sandwich covered in b�chamel."

List of Ingredients

◦ 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
◦ 3 tablespoons flour
◦ 2 cups milk
◦ 1 cup grated Gruy�re cheese
◦ � cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
◦ Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
◦ Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
◦ 12 �-inch-thick slices pain de mie or Pullman bread, toasted
◦ 6 tablespoons Dijon mustard
◦ 12 thin slices baked ham


Recipe

Melt butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour and cook, whisking, until smooth, about 1 minute. Whisk in milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer until slightly reduced and thickened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add � cup grated Gruy�re and the Parmigiano and whisk until smooth. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Heat broiler. Place six slices bread on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and spread 1 tablespoon mustard over each. Top each with two slices ham and divide remaining Gruy�re.

Broil until cheese begins to melt, 1 to 2 minutes. Top with remaining bread slices, then pour a generous amount of b�chamel on top of each sandwich. Broil until cheese sauce is bubbling and evenly browned, 3 to 4 minutes.

Serves 6



� Cook's Note:
Top a croque-monsieur with a fried egg and it becomes a croque-madame. Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Crack in an egg, season with salt and pepper, and cook until white is opaque but yolk is still runny, about 3 minutes. Place the egg on top of each sandwich and serve hot.