Croque monsieur: the French sandwich baked under bechamel
One of the most popular sandwiches in French cafes, and one often made abroad as a plain cheese toastie. What makes it is bechamel, in two places: a thin layer inside that stops the sandwich drying out, and a thick one on top that turns under the grill into a brown, bubbling crust. Without it you have a toastie. With it, a proper dish that Parisian bistros serve for lunch.
Your own work in that: 22 min.
- Bechamel 12 min
- Assembly 10 min
- Baking 18 min
Step by step
0 / 5 doneMake a thick bechamel
Melt the butter, stir in the flour and cook the roux 2 minutes, stirring — it should smell like a biscuit, not like raw flour. Add the warm milk a ladle at a time, whisking smooth after each. Cook 5 minutes, until as thick as custard — with adding the milk this takes about 12 minutes. Season with mustard, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Ingredients: 40 g butter · 40 g plain flour · 400 ml milk · 1 pinch nutmeg · 1 tsp Dijon mustard · ½ tsp salt · ¼ tsp white pepper
TipBechamel for a croque should be <b>clearly thicker</b> than for lasagne: a thin one runs off the sandwich onto the tray and burns instead of forming a crust.
As thick as custard, not a lasagne sauceButter the bread
Heat the oven to 200°C. Butter one side of each slice — that side goes on the outside and browns. Turn four slices butter side down and spread the other side with a thin layer of bechamel, about a tablespoon each.
Ingredients: 8 pcs white sandwich bread · 200 g ham · 200 g hard cheese · 30 g butter
Butter outside, a spoon of bechamel insideBuild the sandwiches
Move the bechamel-spread slices onto a lined baking tray (butter side down). Lay two slices of ham and half the grated cheese on them, top with the remaining slices butter side up and press gently.
Ham, cheese, second slice, a gentle pressTop with the rest of the bechamel and cheese
Spread all the remaining bechamel thickly over the tops, right to the edges, and cover with the rest of the cheese. This is the layer that decides everything — don't ration it.
Bake, then brown under the grill
Bake 12 minutes at 200 °C, then switch to the grill for 3–4 minutes, until the top is bubbling and dark brown in patches. Rest 3 minutes before cutting: hot cheese runs out, slightly cooled cheese stays in the sandwich.
TipWatch the last minutes under the grill without looking away. Beautifully browned and burnt cheese are often less than a minute apart.
Bubbling, darkly browned in patches
Before you start
Croque madame
The same thing with a fried egg on top, added once it leaves the oven. A popular explanation of the name is that the egg sits on the sandwich like a lady's hat.
Which bread
Slightly stale white sandwich bread or brioche. Fresh soft bread soaks up the bechamel and collapses when cut; a day on the counter fixes it.
Bechamel in advance
Double the batch and keep half in the fridge for 3 days with film on the surface. In the morning reheat it with a spoon of milk and breakfast is ready in under half an hour.
Without an oven
You can fry it in a covered pan, 4 minutes a side, but the top layer of bechamel has to go. It makes a good sandwich — just no longer a croque monsieur.
