The perfect croque monsieur

Master the croque monsieur with soft sourdough, gruyère, smoked ham and creamy mustard mayo. You’ll relish every mouthful of this brunch classic

  • Prep:20 mins
    Cook:30 mins
  • Serves 2
  • More effort

Nutrition per serving

  • kcal 876
  • fat 62g
  • saturates 31g
  • carbs 46g
  • sugars 6g
  • fibre 2g
  • protein 31g
  • salt 3.7g

Ingredients

  • 4 slices from a white sourdough or crusty white
  • 20g butter, melted
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 100g grated Gruyère
  • 4 thin slices of great smoked ham
  • 125ml milk
  • 125ml cream
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 20g butter
  • 20g plain flour
  • 1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard
  • fresh nutmeg, grated
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp mayonnaise

Method

  1. First, make a perfect béchamel sauce. Put the milk, cream, garlic, bay leaves and onion in a small pan over a medium heat and stir together. Heat until nearly boiling, then turn the heat off and leave for 10 mins to infuse. Pass the liquid through a sieve and discard the bay and onion. 

  2. Melt the butter with the flour in another pan and cook over a gentle heat until it smells biscuity. Gradually whisk in the warm milk and bring to a gentle boil, stirring regularly, then add the Dijon mustard, a little grating of fresh nutmeg and some seasoning. It should be a lovely thick creamy sauce with a deep flavour.

  3. Brush the slices of bread with melted butter. Place them on a baking tray and toast one side under a grill, buttered-side up, until golden. Take them out and heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7.

  4. Turn the bread over and spread each slice with a thin layer of Dijon, followed by a layer of the béchamel. Cover the sauce with grated gruyère, and then a slice of ham. Form the slices into two sandwiches, spread a thin layer of the sauce over the top slice and sprinkle more Gruyère on top. Put the sandwiches in the oven and bake for 10-15 mins or until golden. Mix the mustard and mayo together and serve alongside.

Suggested recipes from this collection...