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Croque Monsieur – French sandwich recipe with lots of cheese
Croque Monsieur
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Croque Monsieur – French sandwich recipe with lots of cheese

Croque Monsieur is a traditional French sandwich made with ham and lots of cheese
Croque monsieur is a traditional French sandwich dish made with ham and lots of cheese – here’s the recipe

Don’t know what you want to cook today? Be inspired by our “World Foods”. In this section we regularly report on street food markets and restaurants that are currently popular and present dishes from all over the world. This time, Swiss food blogger Alexandre Bidault tells us his recipe for croque monsieur with homemade béchamel sauce.

The Swiss food blogger Alexandre Bidault draws inspiration for his recipes from trips around the world and publishes them on his blog “The Frenchie Kitchen Club”. This time he reveals his favorite recipe for a classic from France.

The French version of the sandwich is said to have first been served in a Parisian café in 1910. It consists of two slices of toast, which are topped with ham and spicy cheese and then baked with cheese. Alexandre Bidault’s recipe also includes homemade béchamel sauce, which makes the croque particularly juicy.

Recipe for croque monsieur with béchamel

Ingredients for 2 people

  • 30 grams of butter
  • 30 grams of flour
  • 250 ml whole milk
  • salt
  • White pepper
  • nutmeg (freshly grated)
  • if available, 1 pinch of Piment d’Espelette (Gorria, a spice from Basque cuisine)

For the croque:

  • 4 slices of toast (American toast)
  • 4 slices of cooked ham (thinly sliced ​​by the butcher)
  • 8 strips of Gruyère (French cheese, available in specialist cheese shops and in well-stocked supermarkets)
  • Emmental (grated)
  • Dijon mustard
  • chives (finely chopped)
With this recipe, the croque monsieur becomes crispy and juicy at the same time,

This recipe makes the croque monsieur crispy and juicy at the same time, 

Preparation of the croque monsieur

Heat the butter over a gentle heat. Add the flour and stir with a whisk for a few minutes. Pour in the cold milk, stirring constantly. Increase the heat slightly and stir until the right consistency is achieved. Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg and piment d’Espelette. Keep the béchamel warm and stir occasionally (lowest setting on the stove).

Cut off the edges of the toast (optional) and preheat the oven to 210 degrees (convection).
Spread Dijon mustard on toast. Place 2 slices of ham on top, with the Gruyère strips in between. Then spread the béchamel on the ham. Place the other slice of toast over the toasted slice. Spread with béchamel and spread generously with Emmental cheese. Repeat the same process with the other croque monsieur.
Place the croque monsieur in the oven on a grill rack lined with parchment paper for 12 minutes. Serve immediately and top with some chives.