Croque Monsieur Recipe

cheese and ham hot sandwich, sliced in half to see the soft insides and toasted texture on top

Jill Colonna

Easy Croque Monsieur recipe with traditional ingredients to make the famous Parisian hot sandwich. This is an express version for two but see instructions using the classic Bechamel if you double the recipe for 4.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Course Breakfast, Brunch, Light Lunch

Cuisine French

Servings 2 people

Calories 510 kcal

Ingredients

4 slices thin sandwich bread best from the bakers
100 g (3½ oz/ 6½ tbsp thick crème fraîche or Greek yoghurt (see NOTES)
½ teaspoon French mustard
Good pinch grated nutmeg
Good pinch ground milled pepper
salt (fleur de sel)
4 slices quality thin ham (Jambon de Paris) or 2 thicker slices
100 g (3½oz/ 1 cup) Emmental cheese (Comté or Gruyère) grated

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F (180°C fan/Gas 6) and line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
Mix together the crème fraîche, mustard, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Spread half of the creamy mix thinly over the surface of 2 slices, right into the corners. Top both with 2 slices of thin ham (or each with thick ham) and cover with the other bread slices.
Mix in the grated cheese to the rest of the cream mix and spread completely over the surface of both sandwiches. Top with a little more ground pepper to taste.
Bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on how toasted you like it.

Notes

Serving Suggestion: Serve with a simple green salad - this recipe gives many healthy texture suggestions to vary according to season.

Quality Ingredients

Bread: the French classic uses quality 'pain de mie' (sliced white sandwich bread), best bought from a bakery if possible. In Paris, various types of bread are used: from Japanese style, 'pain aux céréales' (wholegrain sliced) to Pain Poilane, so popular in many cafés and bistros, it's called a 'Croque-Poilâne' with sourdough.

Classic vs Quick Versions

Classic: Normally the classic Croque Monsieur and Madame cheese sandwiches are filled with Béchamel instead of the crème fraîche. If making for 4, I recommend making half quantity of this Béchamel sauce recipe for a softer texture.

Quick: This recipe is an quicker version for 2. For an express version, use Laughing Cow® (Vache qui Rit®) spreading cheese. Before you frown at this, even French chef Yves Camdeborde does this!

Croque Madame Recipe

To make a Croque Madame, follow the same recipe but fry an egg and place on top before serving.

Keyword croque madame recipe, croque monsieur recipe, croque monsieur vs madame, French ham and cheese sandwich