Croque-Monsieur Recipe (2024)

It seems like they missed a step in the instructions. After making what basically amounts to a grilled ham and cheese sandwich, transfer sandwiches to a rimmed baking sheet and spoon remaining bechamel over top. Grate some more gruyère on top and broil until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly and starting to brown here and there. Plate and serve. Eat with a knife and fork.

(literally translated as "crunch sir.")
Nope Nope Nope!
Croque, Croquer (Verb) Old French, to eat.
Modern French: To take a bite
"Croque was the name of a slice of bread dipped in beaten eggs and pan fried. "Croquant" is crunchy, snappy.
Croque-Monsieur translate by eat (a) man. The dish was invented in 1910 in a bistro (supposedly Le Bel Age) and when asked what it was, the owner joked that it was human meat/flesh.
You're welcome ;- )
Sources upon request

In the photo, it looks like the béchamel is also on the top...is that correct or an illusion?

Quicker & easier is Croque Madame: 2 slices good quality bread; spread both with mayo (Bernaise is way to rich); add a slice of gruyère. Melt butter over medium heat. Fry an egg over medium (not easy, too runny); place egg on top of cheese; add another slice gruyère. Butter top of 2nd slice of bread; place sandwich in remaining butter; cook until 1st side is done; turn and brown other side. Cheese will be all runny and gooey. This is a delicious brunch sandwich in this house.

as a french person speaking, i would recommend using Jambon de Paris. Bayonne is saltier and with the added gruyère, your croque monsieur will result as really salty and therefore it won't be as tasty as it should be.

My seven year old: This sandwich should get a prize.

What a treat! I made enough so we could each have one and a half hot from the oven, plus a bright room temperature asparagus soup and an chilly avocado/cucumber salad. Dinner for two.

I bet that made your day, too! It's always a big deal when kiddos endorse something because they are so honest. I haven't read any other reviews yet, but I'm going to save this recipe on that recommendation alone. :)

I make this almost every Saturday as a lunch treat however I always spread Dijon mustard on the bottom slice of bread before adding the ham, cheese etc.

My teen granddaughter and I made this "together" via FaceTime. As previous reviewer mentioned, a step was left out in the directions; you must save some of the béchamel to spoon over the top. There is plenty of sauce so that's no problem. If you make yours in a skillet as I did, leave enough time for baking in the oven at the end. To get the top bubbly, I increased the oven temp to 350. It's an easy way to get a delicious taste of Paris while travel there is out of the question!

It's far easier to make and the cheese melts fabulously, if one uses a special Croque Monsieur pan (french toasting iron) to make this. Simply butter the bread on both sides, add ham and cheese (mozzarella or soft swiss), add either a touch of Poupon mustard, or a bit of chutney, top it with a 2nd piece of butter bread, and close and fasten the special pan. Trim off any excess that squeezed out of the pan. Cook it over an open flame on the stove top, turn and cook other side. Fabulous!

I see no reason that a good smoked turkey shouldn't work in place of ham.

I think I would saute some mushrooms until they're crisp in butter with a little thyme, salt and pepper.

They are delicately different, though. Really delicious.

where's the béchamel?

What is French Ham???

I enjoyed the recipe thank you- takes my toasties to a new level!

I put the excess béchamel sauce into ice cube trays in the freezer then turned them out into a ziplock bag for next time I make this delicious recipe.

I added 1T grainy mustard to the sauce, which gave it a nice zing. Great recipe for brunch with company.

When you bake in oven, add the rest of the bechamel on top.

First of all, the cheese would NOT melt in a 300 degree oven even after 10 minutes. And yes, I cooked them in a skillet first, in butter. I had to take them apart and broil them, risking burning since they were already pretty brown. Also, they are supposed to have bechamel and Gruyère on top. (Although the comments here saying they are supposed to be dipped in egg are thinking of a Monte Cristo.) Next time I’ll just bake them at 425 degrees after brushing with butter, like my husband suggested.

I would love suggestions for a vegetarian version also! I made mine and my daughter’s with just Gruyère and it was very good. It would be great to add something too. (Love smoked salmon as someone suggested, but my daughter is lacto-ovo, not pescatarian.)

- Make bechamel less running (add salt and nutmeg)- bake for 5 minutes at 400- broil for 3-5 minutes, until light brown and bubbly

When you bake in oven, add the rest of the bechamel on top.

I love this recipe because of how simple but delicious the bechamel is, however I prefer to skip the skillet(it feels like I’m just making a grilled cheese) and instead simply broil it open-faced until the cheese is nice and bubbly.

I’ve always known a Croque Monsieur to be a fork-and-knife toasted ham and cheese raised to a celestial level of lusciousness by the addition of béchamel both inside and on top and broiled until brown and bubbly. And quite thin - not the Dagwoodesque versions I’ve seen on YouTube. There can be a thin schmear of Dijon on the bottom piece of bread, but beyond that we’re venturing into “delicious, but not a Croque Monsieur” territory, IMHO. Which is not necessarily bad - just not “canonical.”

Croque-infant: Velveeta and Wonder Bread dipped in ketchup.

I've made Croque Monsieur since I was 16 in High School (30+ yrs). It is always my favorite, fall-back sandwich. Never did the bechamel but it sounds like a good challenge ;)

I make this almost every Saturday as a lunch treat however I always spread Dijon mustard on the bottom slice of bread before adding the ham, cheese etc.