Classic Croque Monsieur Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What does croque monsieur contain? ›

Croque Monsieur is a delicious French ham and cheese sandwich made with gruyere, parmesan, ham and a simple béchamel sauce, toasted in the oven. Serve with a green salad and a small cup of French Onion Soup and you have the perfect Parisian meal!

As for some tips: Make sure you have good quality ham and bread and a nice melty cheese (gruyere is traditional, but a good American style swiss cheese is tasty too) and it will come out great, I'm sure. Also, make the bechamel a bit on the thick side so it doesn't drench the bread and browns up nicer.

A Croque Monsieur is a French ham and cheese dish on buttered bread. It's often served as a sandwich, with the cheese and ham melted into the bread by gently browning the outside of the sandwich. A Croque Madame is similar, but it has an egg on top of it.

What is a croque monsieur made of? Thin slices of ham are loaded with grated Gruyère and a rich, creamy Mornay sauce. The sauce and gooey cheese make this a knife-and-fork sandwich. For something even more extravagant, add a fried egg on top and you'll have a Croque Madame.

The Croque Monsieur, a gentleman's sandwich

The name comes from the word croquer, meaning to bite, and monsieur, meaning mister, translating overall as gentleman's sandwich. Historically a Croque Monsieur is made using standard sliced white bread, but some people use a sweetened version such as brioche.

Most croque monsieur origin stories point to Le Bel Age café and proprietor Michel Lunarca as the instigator of the croque. It's said that around 1910, the so-called “crunchy mister” got its name when Lunarca told patrons his broiled sandwiches featured “mister meat.”

If you can't find Gruyere then Emmenthal would be a good substitute. However if neither of these cheeses are available in your area then we suggest using a combination of half mature (sharp) cheddar and half firm mozzarella, to give stretchy, stringily melting cheese with a good flavour.

France's most famous sandwich, the croque monsieur, is one such dish. On the surface, it's nothing more than a warm ham and cheese sandwich. But the croque monsieur is a perfectly harmonious and delightfully decadent sandwich, and its preparation is something of an art.

Because France's famous croque monsieur is not just a ham-and-cheese sanger, but a creation that has a claim to being the world's greatest sandwich: two slices of white bread, filled with layers of leg ham and gruyere or Emmental cheese, plus a little Dijon mustard, toasted until crisp and gooey, then topped with the ...

A Monte Cristo sandwich is a variation of the croque monsieur, but with the addition of sliced turkey added the ham and Swiss cheese. Also, this sandwich is dipped in an egg batter, like French toast, and pan-fried instead of grilled, until golden brown.

What does croque monsieur mean literally? ›

The name comes from the French words croque ("crunch") and monsieur ("gentleman").

The word croque comes from the verb croquer, meaning “to bite” in French and monsieur means “mister” or “sir.” Like many recipe origin stories there's a few different versions, but most place the croque monsieur showing up in the early 1900s.

A croque monsieur is a hot sandwich consisting of ham and cheese on thick slices of white bread. The dish originated in French cafés more than 100 years ago and, since it's easy to prepare and eat with your hands, it quickly became a bistro staple.

You've likely heard of croque monsieur, a grilled ham and cheese sandwich topped with béchamel sauce, and croque madame, the same sandwich with an egg on top.

"Croque" means "crunchy bite" and "monsieur" means "mister." Typically, a croque monsieur is made with thinly sliced baked or boiled ham and sliced creamy Emmental or Gruyère cheese. The bread, which is topped with grated cheese, is often dipped in beaten egg before cooking.

The main difference between the two is that a croque madame has an egg on top, while a croque monsieur does not. Then there is the Monte Cristo, which is nearly the same as the Monsieur except that it may add other meat, such as turkey and is often sprinkled with powdered sugar and served with jam or jelly.

The French croque madame sandwich is a lesson in extravagance, made with white bread, butter, cheese, ham, Mornay sauce, and a fried egg. It's a luxurious, deeply comforting dish.

The word croque comes from the verb croquer, meaning “to bite” in French and monsieur means “mister” or “sir.” Like many recipe origin stories there's a few different versions, but most place the croque monsieur showing up in the early 1900s.