How To Make the Crunchiest Croque Monsieur Ever
You may remember the famous grilled cheese scene from ‘Chef’, the 2014 cult-classic by Jon Favreau. My nipples still get hard upon hearing the sound of that crunch. It is the foodie’s equivalent to Meg Ryan’s fake orgasm at Katz Deli in ‘When Harry Met Sally.’
You may be like me and realize that Croque Monsieur lends its self to creativity. It really is the perfect covid-19 sandwich as almost anything in your refrigerator will taste great inside a fancy grilled cheese. A few minutes searching Google you will quickly conclude that there are as many Croque variations as there are Parisians in Paris.
My technique for the perfect Croque Monsieur is simple: Copy what Jon did in Chef. You start by slathering copious quantities of soft butter on soft bread. The more the better. Stack Gruyere, Cantal, Compte, or any other cheese you like high and then layer a few pieces of ham just so you can call it healthy-ish. Cook the sandwich in a non-stick skillet until golden brown and crispy as can be.
Note: If you don’t have a defibrillator charged on your kitchen wall or you are hoping to live longer than the covid-19 quarantines than you can bake your sandwich until the cheese is warm and bubbly.
Here’s where we start splitting the Croque herd into different camps. Some cooks will call that plate of deliciousness sitting in front of you Croque Monsieur. Other cooks will sneer and tell you that you have only gone part way. To make a proper French sandwich you need a French mother sauce smothered all over the top. I fall into the second camp.
JUST WHAT THE HECK IS A CROQUE MADAME?
At this point, you are probably wondering: how can I make this even richer? I don’t blame you, the very same thought crossed my mind too. When you’ve waded this far into the cholesterol pool, you might as well go all the way. Croque Madame is a Croque Monsieur with a fried egg perched perilously on top. I presume the name resulted from a crude joke about a woman’s reproductive system rather than an egg seller sitting next to the butcher at the Bel Age.
Note: If you want to guarantee a trip to the cardiac ward of your local hospital then replace the ham with a slice of sauteed foie gras (Croque Landais), but I would have to ask why.
Croque Monsieur (Croque Madame)
Croque Monsieur is nothing more than a glorified grilled ham and cheese sandwich with a French mother sauce smothered all over the top.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Servings 4
Ingredients
For the Béchamel
3 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 – 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
to taste sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Croque Monsieur
8 slices white bread
8 tbsp unsalted butter room temperature
8 slices ham
1 cup shredded Gruyère cheese
Instructions
To make the béchamel, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter until foamy. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is foamy, about 3 minutes. Gradually add the milk, stirring until smooth. Cook, stirring, until the sauce is thick, about 3 minutes. Stir in the nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.
Preheat the broiler to it’s hottest setting.
To make the Croque Monsieur, butter 8 slices of the bread. Top 4 slices with cheese and then 2 slices of ham. Top with the remaining slices of bread and cook in a non-stick skillet over low heat until golden brown on each side, about 5 minutes.
Spread the béchamel evenly over the top and broil until bubbling and golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Eat immediately, though, bear in mind, it is hot; this is a fork-and-knife sandwich rather than a handheld kind of sandwich.
Recipe Notes
VARIATION: CROQUE MADAME: Make a Croque Monsieur. Top each sandwich with a fried egg when you pull them out of the broiler.