The perfect lunch or dinner, this Croque Monsieur Recipe is a tasty sandwich with béchamel sauce, meat, cheese and more. A hearty meal that you will want to make over and over again.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a sheet tray with parchment paper, set aside.
Make the bechamel first. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Once melted, whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
Slowly stream in the milk while constantly whisking to avoid lumps. Repeat with the heavy cream, the mixture should be smooth.
Add the dijon, pepper, and nutmeg, and stir to combine. Whisking constantly, cook until the mixture becomes very thick and spreadable, not runny at all, up to 5 minutes. Take off the heat.
Place the bread slices on the prepared sheet tray.
Toast in the oven for 2 minutes, flip the bread pieces over, and toast for another 2 minutes.
Smear half of the sauce over 4 slices of the bread.
Top with the ham and spread the dijon on top of the ham. Add half of the gruyere followed by half of the parmesan cheese.
Place the remaining bread slices on top.
Smear the top with the remaining sauce. Add the rest of the Gruyere, followed by the parmesan.
Bake for 10 minutes until melty. Put the broiler on high and broil until the cheese on top is golden brown, or until your desired toastiness. Serve immediately.
Notes
The sauce can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Use other breads, some suggestions are included above.
This is a heavy sandwich, so its best to serve it with something lighter.
Easily double this recipe to serve more people.
Tavern, maple or honey ham can also be used.
We do not recommend freezing this recipe.
If you are not a fan of nutmeg in the sauce, you can leave it out.