French · Lunch · All year
Croque Monsieur
4.6 community
15m
Prep
15m
Cook
Easy
Level
640
kcal
The café ham-and-cheese elevated by mornay sauce inside AND on top, broiled to a bronze bubble. Add a fried egg and it becomes a madame.
What you need
Ingredients
Servings
2
4 slices
🍞 Bread ›
good white, thick
4 slices
🍖 Ham ›
150 g
🧀 Gruyère ›
grated
250 ml
🥛 Milk ›
25 g
🧈 Butter ›
25 g
🌾 Flour ›
1 tsp
🟡 Dijon Mustard ›
1 pinch
🌰 Nutmeg ›
Add all to shopping list
Mise en place
Before you start
15m
Prep
15m
Cook
30m
Total
2
Serves
Equipment
Chef's knife
Cutting board
Large bowl
Prep checklist
Bread
— good white, thick
Gruyère
— grated
4 steps
Method
1
Make a quick mornay: roux, milk, simmer 5 minutes; off heat, a third of the cheese, mustard, nutmeg.
2
Build: bread, mornay, ham, a handful of cheese, lid. Then — the move — mornay ON TOP, remaining cheese over that.
💡
The sauced roof is what separates a croque from a toastie. Be generous to the edges.
3
Bake at 200°C 10 minutes, then broil 2–3 to bronzed and bubbling. Knife, fork, bistro posture.
4
For a croque madame: crown each with a fried egg, yolk defiant.
From the chef
Notes
Taste before serving and adjust salt and acid — the last 30 seconds of seasoning matter more than any single ingredient.
Afterwards
Keep, reheat & pair
Storage
Refrigerate components separately up to 3 days; dress and assemble just before eating.
Freezing
Salads and sandwiches don't freeze; soups freeze beautifully for 3 months.
Reheating
Soups reheat gently on the stove with a splash of water. Sandwiches and salads are best assembled fresh — store components separately.
Make ahead
Batch the components (proteins, dressings, grains) on Sunday; assemble in minutes all week.
Wine pairing
Something light and cold — a crisp white, a spritz, or iced tea.
Beer pairing
A crisp pilsner or wheat beer keeps lunch light.
On the plate
Serve it with
Sides
·
Cornichons
·
Frisée salad
·
A glass of anything French
Garnish
Flaky salt and cracked pepper
A drizzle of good olive oil
Fresh soft herbs
Taste map
Flavor profile
Sweet
Salty
Sour
Bitter
Umami
Heat
Per serving
Nutrition
640
kcal
32g
protein
42g
carbs
38g
fat
3g
fiber
520mg
sodium
Just for you
My notes
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