Marcel Proust mentions the croque-monsieur in his novel À l’ombre des jeunesfilles en fleurs, published in 1919, as a post-concert snack taken at a hotel restaurant. A croque-monsieur is merely a grilled ham and cheese sandwich, made especially good by browning in butter on both sides in a frying pan. Warm and comforting, it’s a French café staple and is often cooked in French households as a quick lunch, usually served with a green salad. Sometimes a layer of béchamel sauce is added. The croque-madame is a version topped with a fried egg.
9 oz (250 g) crustless white bread, preferably stale
½ cup/3½ oz (100 g) butter
½ cup/2 oz (60 g) grated Gruyère cheese
3 oz (85 g) ham, sliced
Method
Cut the bread into thin, evenly shaped slices. Spread all the slices with some of the butter on each side and sprinkle with the cheese. Put a piece of ham on half the bread slices. Cover each one with a buttered slice. Tie together with kitchen twine (string).
Melt the remaining butter in a skillet or frying pan over medium heat. Add the croque-monsieurs and brown for 4 minutes on each side. Remove the twine before eating.
Marcel Proust mentions the croque-monsieur in his novel À l’ombre des jeunes filles en fleurs, published in 1919, as a post-concert snack taken at a hotel restaurant. A croque-monsieur is merely a grilled ham and cheese sandwich, made especially good by browning in butter on both sides in a frying pan. Warm and comforting, it’s a French café staple and is often cooked in French households as a quick lunch, usually served with a green salad. Sometimes a layer of béchamel sauce is added. The croque-madame is a version topped with a fried egg.
This delicious recipe is from Ginette Mathiot’s new cookbook, Classic French Recipes.
Preparation time: 15 minutes | Cooking time |10 minutes | Serves 6
Ingredients
9 oz (250 g) crustless white bread, preferably stale
½ cup/3½ oz (100 g) butter
½ cup/2 oz (60 g) grated Gruyère cheese
3 oz (85 g) ham, sliced
Method
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