Croque Monsieur

Croque monsieur is a glorified grilled cheese sandwich made with crusty bread encasing ham and. gooey cheese. The creamy béchamel sauce is both inside the sandwich and on top which makes this the richest sandwich you may ever eat! Many French bistros serve croque monsieur on their lunch menus, but I love it for breakfast too.

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Ingredients

Serves 4 (large sandwiches)

Croque Monsieur:

• 1/2 stick butter

• 1/4 cup all purpose flour

• 1 3/4 cup whole milk

• 1 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard

• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme 

• 1/2 stick butter, melted

• 8 thick slices of sourdough or French bread

• 4 slices ham

• 8 slices Gruyere cheese
  

Process

Preheat the broiler and place the oven rack 6 inches below the top heating element. Line a broiler pan with foil.

In a saucepan, melt 1⁄4 cup of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the flour and stir until combined, then add the milk, mustard, and thyme. Whisk until smooth and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes, until smooth and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove the béchamel from the heat and set aside.

Melt the remaining 1⁄4 cup butter. Place four slices of bread on the lined pan and brush with the melted butter. Toast under the broiler until golden, about 1 minute. Turn over each piece and top with a spoonful of béchamel, a slice of ham, and two slices of cheese. Top each sandwich with the. remaining slices of bread and spoon more béchamel on top. Return to the broiler, toast until the cheese is melted and béchamel is bubbly, and serve.