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English-style Croque-Monsieur
A comforting, slightly British take on the croque-monsieur: golden-brown sandwich bread, ham, melt-in-your-mouth cheddar, and a generous helping of béchamel sauce with hard-boiled eggs.
688
Last modified on: October 18th 2026
For 4 people, you will need:
- 1
2 hard-boiled eggs - 2
250 g bechamel sauce - 3
1 tablespoon mustard - 4
8 slices sandwich bread - 5
80 g clarified butter - 6
2 slices ham - 7
200 g Cheddar cheese - 8
Pepper (optional) - Total weight: 1,065 grams
Times for this recipe
Preparation
30 min.
Cooking
25 min.
All in all
50 min.
When should you start or finish this recipe?
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Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - ⌛ 3 min.
Stage 2 - ⌛ 1 min.
Mix them at 250 g bechamel sauce.
Stage 3 - ⌛ 1 min.
Add 1 tablespoon mustard (preferably "whole-grain mustard") and mix well.
Stage 4 - ⌛ 4 min.
Stage 5 - ⌛ 2 min.
Using a brush, spread clarified butter on one side of each slice of bread.
Stage 6 - ⌛ 8 min.
Brown each buttered side of each slice of bread in a skillet over medium heat.
Stage 7
Work in batches, and set the golden-brown slices aside as you go.
Stage 8 - ⌛ 1 min.
Assembling the Croque-Monsieurs
Place a slice in front of you, golden side down, and spread a layer of béchamel sauce with hard-boiled eggs on top (you can add a little pepper if you like).
Stage 9 - ⌛ 1 min.
Place 1/2 slice of ham on top.
Stage 10 - ⌛ 1 min.
Then, generous slices of cheddar.
Stage 11 - ⌛ 1 min.
Take a second slice of bread—with the toasted side still facing down—and spread another layer of béchamel sauce on top.
Stage 12 - ⌛ 1 min.
Close the croque-monsieur with the second slice, and press down on it to flatten it slightly.
Stage 13 - ⌛ 1 min.
Place the croque monsieur on a sheet of parchment paper laid out on a baking sheet.
Stick 4 toothpicks into the croque monsieur to hold it together while baking and prevent the top slice from shifting.
Stick 4 toothpicks into the croque monsieur to hold it together while baking and prevent the top slice from shifting.
Stage 14 - ⌛ 10 min.
Preheat your oven to 160°C (320°F).
Do this for all the croque-monsieurs.
Do this for all the croque-monsieurs.
Stage 15 - ⌛ 15 min.
Bake at 160°C (320°F) for about 15–20 minutes, until the cheddar is fully melted, then remove the toothpicks.
Stage 16
Enjoy it while it's hot.
Remarks
If you like the smoky flavor, like I do, go for smoked cheddar instead of regular cheddar—you'll love it.
If you don’t have clarified butter, in step 2, spread the bread slices with softened butter (very soft).
A croque-monsieur is a simple dish, but it calls for high-quality ingredients—so, if possible, pay close attention to the bread, ham, and cheddar you use.
You may have noticed that I used whole-grain sandwich bread for this recipe—of course, this isn’t a requirement; it’s up to your personal preference.
If you don’t have clarified butter, in step 2, spread the bread slices with softened butter (very soft).
A croque-monsieur is a simple dish, but it calls for high-quality ingredients—so, if possible, pay close attention to the bread, ham, and cheddar you use.
You may have noticed that I used whole-grain sandwich bread for this recipe—of course, this isn’t a requirement; it’s up to your personal preference.
Keeping: Best enjoyed immediately, but it can be stored for a few days or frozen.
Source: Home made.
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Nutritional information
| Proteins | Carbohydrates | Fats | Calories | Energy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 g | 37 g RDI=58 % | 165 g RDI=63 % | 52 g RDI=72 % | 387 kcal RDI=19 % | 1,620 kJ RDI=19 % |
| Per person | 101 g RDI=156 % | 441 g RDI=167 % | 139 g RDI=191 % | 1,030 kcal RDI=52 % | 4,315 kJ RDI=52 % |
| Whole recipe | 404 g RDI=622 % | 1,765 g RDI=666 % | 556 g RDI=762 % | 4,122 kcal RDI=206 % | 17,258 kJ RDI=206 % |
How much will it cost?
For 4 people
13.00 €
Per person
3.25 €
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Bechamel sauce
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example:
Cheddar cheese
Like these other recipes:
Clarified butter
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example:
Sandwich bread
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example:
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