Mary Berry’s Croque Monsieur
As seen on her BBC2 series, Simple Comforts, Mary Berry's recipe for Croque Monsieur is an easy-to-follow guide to this classic French grilled cheese sandwich.
From the book
Simple Comforts
Heart-warming comfort dishes from the nation's favourite cook
With easy, family-friendly recipes as well as all-out weekend feasts
Including chapters full of indulgent bakes and sweet treats
Introduction
The French know how to spoil themselves with this wonderfully wicked, indulgent snack, brunch or lunch. This is great for hungry teenagers. Choose good-quality ham, ideally hand-carved from freshly cooked joint. And if you sit a fried egg on top of the sandwich it becomes a croque Madame!
Catch all of your favourite recipes from Mary's new series, Simple Comforts, here.
Ingredients
| 50g (2oz) | butter |
| 4 | medium slices of white bread |
| 2 tbsp | Dijon mustard |
| 4 | thin slices of smoked ham |
| 100g (4oz) | Gruyère cheese, coarsely grated |
| 15g (½oz) | plain flour |
| 150ml (5fl oz) | hot full-fat milk |
| freshly grated nutmeg | |
| salt and freshly ground black pepper |
Method
Prepare ahead: Can be assembled up to an hour ahead, ready to grill.
1. You will need a baking sheet lined with foil. Preheat the grill to a medium setting.
2. Melt half the butter in a small saucepan, then brush it over one side of each slice of bread. Place the bread on the baking sheet, buttered side up. Grill for 1-2 minutes until lightly golden.
3. Turn the bread over and spread the unbuttered side with Dijon mustard. Put two slices of ham on the mustard side of two of the slices of bread. Top this with 50g (2oz) of the grated cheese and then cover with the remaining slices of bread, toasted side up, to make two sandwiches.
4. Melt the remaining butter in the saucepan and whisk in the flour with a small sauce whisk. Heat for a few seconds, then whisk in the hot milk. Once the sauce has thickened, remove the pan from the heat and add a little nutmeg and 25g (1oz) of the cheese. Season well, this will be a very thick cheese sauce.
5. Spread the sauce over the top of both sandwiches and sprinkle with the remaining 25g (1oz) of cheese. Put back until the hot grill for about 5 minutes until the cheese has melted in the middle and the top is golden brown and bubbling. Leave for a few seconds before slicing in half, then serve immediately.
