Toast & Sandwich

Croque Monsieur

Name: Croque Monsieur
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 12 slices of white sandwich bread with good structure; Béchamel sauce – see below; 2 packs of Golfera ham, cut slices in half across the middle; 150g Emmental De Savoie/Gruyere/Comté or blend there of, grated; 500ml whole milk; 2 cloves of garlic; Dash of nutmeg; 50g butter; 50g plain flour; Salt and pepper to taste

Cook: 30 mins
Difficulty: Medium
Method: Oven

Croque monsieur cut in half on a wooden board with a knife

Ingredients

12 slices of white sandwich bread with good structure
Béchamel sauce – see below
2 packs of Golfera ham, cut slices in half across the middle
150g Emmental De Savoie/Gruyere/Comté or blend there of, grated

for the Béchamel

500ml whole milk
2 cloves of garlic
Dash of nutmeg
50g butter
50g plain flour
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

To make your béchamel :
Add milk, garlic cloves and light grating of nutmeg to saucepan. Bring to a boil and remove from heat, set aside. Remove garlic from milk once it cools for 10 minutes at room temperature.
In a separate saucepan, over medium-low heat, melt the butter.
Once melted, whisk in flour gradually and continue stirring as it bubbles and cooks, approx. 2 min. You are looking for a nutty/biscuity smell and very light browning colour change. This is called a roux.
Gradually add your milk (still warm) to your roux stirring constantly to fully incorporate.
Over medium low heat, cook for another 5 min or until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.
To assemble your sandwiches:
Preheat your oven to 180°C
Lay out half your slices of bread on the work top. You’re going to make layers on each slice of bread assembly line style.
Layer each slice in this order: bread slice – bechamel sauce – 2 slices ham – bechamel sauce – bread – 2 slices ham – bechamel sauce – sprinkle of grated cheese.
Bechamel sauce should be generously spread across each slice of bread and ham evenly distributed.
Once layered up, place on a sheet tray and bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until bubble and cheese is melted.
This is a ‘fork & knife’ kind of sandwich, serve accordingly! 😊