Croque-monsieur
A classic of French "street food" or bistros: a slice of ham between two slices of bread spread with béchamel sauce. The sandwich is then sprinkled with cheese and toasted in the oven.
264 K 4.2/5 (44 reviews)
50 min.
Easy
6 Croque-monsieurs
4 IngredientsLast modified on: August 1st 2010
For 6 Croque-monsieurs, you will need:
- 1
12 slices sandwich bread - 2
3 slices ham - 3
250 g bechamel sauce - 4
150 g grated cheese - Total weight: 1,030 grams
Change these quantities to make:
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Times for this recipe
Preparation: 25 min.
Cooking: 25 min.
All in all: 50 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 5 min.
Begin by cutting the crusts off 12 slices sandwich bread.
Stage 2 - 5 min.
Cut 3 slices ham to the size of the bread slices.
Stage 3 - 5 min.
Lightly fry the slices of ham in a very hot pan for just a few seconds on each side.
Stage 4 - 5 min.
Spread béchamel sauce on 2 slices of bread (tip: use a broad-bladed knife or palette knife).
Place a piece of ham on top of the sauce on one slice of bread.
Place a piece of ham on top of the sauce on one slice of bread.
Stage 5 - 5 min.
Then put the other slice of bread on the ham and sprinkle with grated cheese.
Stage 6 - 1 min.
Stage 7
If you are making several croque-monsieurs, it is worth setting up a production line, i.e. spread béchamel sauce on all the bread, then arrange all the slices of ham, etc. This is much faster than doing one at a time.
Stage 8
Once all your croque-monsieurs are assembled, put the baking sheet into a hot oven.
Stage 9 - 20 min.
Cook for about twenty minutes, watching carefully for colouring.
You can put them under the grill to brown if necessary at the end.
You can put them under the grill to brown if necessary at the end.
Stage 10
Serve hot or warm if possible, with a green salad for example.
Remarks
You can use whatever ham you prefer; I find that it's best with smoked ham, but it's a matter of taste. The same goes for the cheese. Gruyère, or even better Comté, will give you the best croque-monsieur.
yYu can cut the left-over crusts into small pieces and fry them in a little clarified butter or oil, to make small croutons which are great for adding to salads, for example.
yYu can cut the left-over crusts into small pieces and fry them in a little clarified butter or oil, to make small croutons which are great for adding to salads, for example.
Source: Home-made.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 460 RDI=180 % | 2,140 RDI=200 % | 440 RDI=70 % | 2,670 RDI=130 % | 11,170 RDI: 130 % |
| Per 100 g | 40 RDI=20 % | 210 RDI=20 % | 40 RDI=6 % | 260 RDI=10 % | 1,090 RDI: 10 % |
| Per piece | 80 RDI=30 % | 360 RDI=30 % | 70 RDI=10 % | 440 RDI=20 % | 1,860 RDI: 20 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 6 Croque-monsieurs : £4.10
- Per Croque-monsieur : £0.70
Change currency: 
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: Moussaka, Bolognaise lasagne, Ham "friand" pie, Spinach and hard-boiled egg gratin, Croque-monsieur potatoes, ... See them all 31
Grated cheese
Like these other recipes: Spinach on toast with bechamel, Vegetable clafoutis, Chilli chicken and spinach gratin, Potimarron (chestnut pumpkin) "au gratin", Alpine gratin, ... See them all 73
Sandwich bread
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Chicken club sandwich, Grilled cheese, Eggs Benedict , Pain perdu, Fried egg in bread, ... See them all 9
Ham
Like these other recipes: Hasselback or "Swedish-style" potatoes, Escalope cordon bleu, Involtinis, Ham and endives au gratin, Potted meat (rillettes), ... See them all 30
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