- Grilled Cheese
- French Food
By
Danilo Alfaro
Danilo Alfaro
Danilo Alfaro has published more than 800 recipes and tutorials focused on making complicated culinary techniques approachable to home cooks.
Learn about The Spruce Eats'Editorial Process
Updated on 09/6/23
Tested by
Diana Andrews
Tested byDiana Andrews
Diana earned her B.A. in Fine Art at Queens College and her culinary certification from the Institute of Culinary Education. Diana has served as head recipe developer and editor for Emmy-nominated PBS series Moveable Feast, food editor and test kitchen manager at Fine Cooking Magazine, and recipe developer, and product tester at Food Network.
Learn about The Spruce Eats'Editorial Process
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Total: 30 mins
Serving: 1 serving
The croque-monsieur is a classic French grilled cheese sandwich that's a mainstay of Parisian cafes, bars, and bistros, not to mention innumerable take-out counters. Served with a side of French fries and a little pile of salad greens, a Croque-Monsieur is everything that's great about eating in Paris—even their snacks are somehow sublime and otherworldly.
What Does a Croque-Monsieur Contain?
Combining a creamy béchamel sauce with nutty Gruyère cheese, and salty, savory ham, the croque-monsieur is grilled cheese perfection. Keep in mind that most places that serve Croque-Monsieurs have stacks of the things made ahead of time, and they'll warm one up for you when you order it. And yet they're still delicious.
What Does the Name "Croque-Monsieur" Mean?
Croque-monsieur translates literally to "Mr. Crunch." The name comes from the verbcroquermeaning "to bite" or "to crunch" and the wordmonseiurmeaning "mister." Best name for a sandwich ever.
What Is the Difference Between a Croque-Monsieur and a Croque-Madame?
A croque-madame is simply a croque=monsieur with a fried egg on top. Some believe it got its name because the egg resembles a woman's hat from the 1960s.
Croque-Madame
How to Serve a Croque-Monsieur
This rich and savory dish is best when enjoyed with a knife and fork. Of course, it also pairs perfectly with a glass of your favorite French wine. The recipe that follows will make one sandwich, but you can easily double it to make two. You can substitute Jarlsberg or even Monterey Jack for the Gruyère.
"I don't think there's a much better sandwich than a croque-monsieur, unless you top it with an egg, in which case it becomes a croque-madame. This was an authentically delicious recipe. I left the crust on since it's my favorite part of the bread and I served it with a lemony salad. Great meal!" —Diana Andrews
A Note From Our Recipe Tester
Ingredients
For the Béchamel
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 to 1/4 tsp ground white pepper, or to taste
1/8 to 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
For the Sandwich
2 slices white bread
1 tablespoon clarified butter, or softened unsalted butter, more to taste
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, more to taste
1/2 cup grated Gruyère cheese, or a combination of Gruyère and Emmental
1/2 cup béchamel sauce
2 to 3 slicesham
Cooking spray
Steps to Make It
Make the Béchamel
Gather the ingredients.
Heat milk in a small saucepan on the stove or in a glass measuring cup in the microwave until hot but not boiling.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan or saucier over medium heat.
Add flour to the pan with the butter-flour mixture and whisk until mixture is well blended. Cook, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes.
Gradually whisk in hot milk. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until sauce begins to boil and thicken, about 1 minute.
Reduce heat to very low, and simmer, whisking frequently until sauce is smooth and thickened, about 5 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and add a little nutmeg, if desired.
Make the Sandwich
Gather the ingredients. Position a rack 6 to 8 inches from the broiler and set the oven to broil.
Trim the crusts off of the bread, making the slices as square as possible.
Spread both slices of bread with butter.
Flip bread over and spread them lightly with Dijon mustard.
In a bowl, combine the cheese and half of the béchamel sauce, and mix until the cheese is fully coated.
Spread half the cheese mixture evenly onto one slice of bread (on the mustard side, not the butter side). Lay the sliced ham atop the other slice.
Press both halves of the sandwich together.
Spray a bit of cooking spray onto the surface of a nonstick pan. Heat the pan over medium heat until the oil is hot and glistening but not quite smoking.
Place the sandwich into the pan and cook for about 2 minutes, or until the bottom of the bread is a nice shade of golden-brown.
Use a nonstick spatula to flip the croque-monsieur over. Lower the heat a bit and cover the pan. Cook for another minute or two, or until the second slice of bread is also golden brown, and the cheese inside the croque-monsieur is fully melted.
Transfer the sandwich to a cutting board. Top with the remaining cheese mixture, then spoon the other half of the béchamel over the top.
Place sandwich on a sheet tray and broil the sandwich, béchamel-side up, until the top of the sandwich is nicely browned, 1 to 3 minutes. Serve right away.
Glass Bakeware Warning
Do not use glass bakeware when broiling or when a recipe calls to add liquid to a hot pan, as glass may explode. Even if it states oven-safe or heat resistant, tempered glass products can, and do, break occasionally.
How to Make Béchamel Ahead and Store It Properly
Refrigerator:Béchamel can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat over low heat, whisking constantly. If sauce is too thick, add a splash of water or milk.
Freezer:Store béchamel in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator, then reheat over low heat, whisking constantly. If sauce is too thick, add a splash of water or milk.
Recipe Variations
- Muenster, Gouda, Fontina, and Comté are good to use instead of or in combination with the Gruyère.
- Substitute sliced cooked chicken breast for ham.
- Instead of white bread, use sourdough. Leave crusts on.
- Top finished sandwich with a fried egg to make acroque madame.
French Dip Recipe
Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
---|---|
1362 | Calories |
85g | Fat |
68g | Carbs |
82g | Protein |
Show Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts | |
---|---|
Servings: 1 | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 1362 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 85g | 110% |
Saturated Fat 47g | 234% |
Cholesterol 343mg | 114% |
Sodium 3789mg | 165% |
Total Carbohydrate 68g | 25% |
Dietary Fiber 3g | 10% |
Total Sugars 24g | |
Protein 82g | |
Vitamin C 1mg | 3% |
Calcium 1103mg | 85% |
Iron 5mg | 30% |
Potassium 1357mg | 29% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. |
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
Recipe Tags:
- sandwich
- french grilled cheese
- lunch
- french
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