Croque-Monsieur
- Yield 4 servings
Croque-monsieur is the French version of a grilled ham-and- cheese sandwich. This recipe is the traditional croquet monsieur recipe, the closest to the original sandwich served in Parisian cafés in the early 1900s. Today, it’s a popular snack all over France, and the variations are countless. Remember, the better your bread, the better the sandwich.
Ingredients
- 8 slices sandwich bread, crust removed
- 4 tablespoons clarified butter, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 4 ounces baked ham, thinly sliced
- 3 cups grated Gruyere cheese (about 8 ounces)
Instructions
- Set an oven rack 8 inches below the broiler heating element. Preheat the broiler.
- Brush 4 slices of the bread on one side with half the clarified butter. Place the slices butter side down on a broiler or baking sheet. Spread half the mustard on the top side of the bread slices on the sheet, to the edge of each slice. Place 1 ounce of sliced ham on each slice. Divide 2 cups of the Gruyère cheese among the 4 slices. Spread the remaining mustard on the remaining 4 slices of bread and press down on top of the cheese, mustard side down. Brush the tops and sides of the sandwiches with the remaining butter.
- Broil until golden brown on top, 3 to 4 minutes, then turn over, cover the sandwiches with the remaining cheese, and continue cooking until they are crispy and golden brown, about 3 additional minutes.
Reprinted with permission from Clifford A. Wright's Hot and Cheesy (Wiley, 2012)
