French Hot Sandwich Croque Monsieur

Legend has it that the sandwich was created when a worker accidentally left a sandwich with cheese, bread, and butter on the stove at home. When he returned home, he discovered that the cheese and butter had melted, turning into a delicious sandwich. Regardless of whether the story is true or not, the croque monsieur, which would translate to crunchy gentleman, is considered the most famous French bistro sandwich, and its preparation is not so complicated that you couldnt make it yourself. In addition to bread, butter, cheese, ham, and mustard, we also need béchamel sauce, which we pour over the prepared sandwich and then bake in the oven for the finishing touch. A simple hot sandwich thus becomes a hearty meal, suitable for lunch or dinner.

Details

  • Preparation Time: 10 minutes
  • Cooking Time: 25 minutes
  • Difficulty: 2
  • Spiciness: 0
  • Number of Servings: 2

Ingredients

Béchamel

  • 2 spoons Butter, unsalted

  • 1 spoon Flour, Wheat, bread flour

  • 180 ml Milk, whole milk

  • 1 teaspoon Mustard

  • pieces Salt, table

  • 4 slice Bread, wheat

  • 2 teaspoons Butter, unsalted

  • 1 teaspoon Mustard

  • 4 slice Meat, pork, smoked ham

  • 100 g Cheese, groats

Steps

  1. First, prepare the béchamel sauce. Melt butter in a saucepan, then sprinkle flour over it and cook for one minute while stirring until it turns golden yellow. Remove the saucepan from the heat and slowly pour in the milk while stirring. Return the saucepan to the heat and stir until the béchamel thickens. Then add mustard, salt, and pepper. Mix well and set aside again.

  2. Spread butter on one side of the toast slices and place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Set the oven to the broil function and toast the slices until golden brown. Remove the toasted slices from the oven. Turn off the broil function and set the temperature to 200 degrees Celsius.

  3. Prepare the sandwiches. Take two toasted slices of bread and thinly spread mustard on the buttered side. Add a thin layer of béchamel sauce, then sprinkle a little grated cheese on top. Add two slices of ham and cover the sandwiches with the remaining toast slices. Place them on the baking tray and cover with the remaining béchamel sauce, spreading it evenly over each sandwich. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Bake the sandwiches in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes until the cheese melts and turns golden brown.

  4. Serve the prepared dish while it is still warm. You can serve it with a salad or fried potatoes on the side.

Nutrition Information (Per 100g)

  • Calories: 352.7 kcal
  • Fat: 21.92 g
    • Saturated Fat: 12.25 g
  • Carbohydrates: 20.31 g
    • Sugars: 1.93 g
  • Protein: 14.51 g
  • Fiber: 0.97 g

Advice

If you place a fried egg on top of the prepared sandwich, representing a ladys hat, you get a croque madame.