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French Kitchen Bistro: Croque-Monsieur

croque monsieur


Today, we’re featuring a French bistro classic — the croque-monsieur. The croque-monsieur (also simply called croque) is similar to a grilled cheese sandwitch in the US. Nobody really knows where the name comes from but literally it means “bite-mister.” It is said that the first croque-monsieur dates back to 1910 when it was served in a Parisian café. A croque-monsieur is as simple as can be and makes for a wonderful quick movie night dinner. They are also great for a quick spring lunch or dinner on the patio. Check our detailed recipe and Art of the Home suggestions below. Enjoy and bon appétit!

Croque-Monsieur

INGREDIENTS (for 4 servings)

  • 8 slices of bread
  • 8 slices of thinly sliced gruyère
  • 4 slices of ham (not too thin)
  • Soft salted butter

 
DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 425 °F.
  2. Stack up the slices of gruyère and cut to the approximate size of the bread. Do the same thing with the slices of ham.
  3. Butter up 4 slices of bread and stack up ingredients in the following order: 1 slice of bread (butter side facing up), 1 slice of gruyère, 1 slice of ham, 1 slice of gruyère.
  4. Butter up the last 4 slices of bread and place on top of the last layer of gruyère with butter facing up. The butter will melt down into the top slice of bread.
  5. Put a sheet of aluminum foil on the center oven rack.
  6. Grill in a hot oven for about 10 minutes. During the last 1-2 minutes, put the broiler on high (but monitor closely to avoid overcooking). This will make for a nice color on top and add to the crunch.
  7. Serve on individual plates with a green salad if you wish.

 
A FEW SUGGESTIONS

  • Cheese lovers: sprinkle shredded gruyère on top of the croque-monsieur before putting in the oven.
  • Cheese substitution: if you don’t have gruyère, you can use emmental or Swiss cheese.
  • Oven alternative: croque-monsieur can also be made on the stove top or in a panini press.


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