Yahoo Lifestyle The French Way to Make Grilled Cheese 10x Better
It wouldn't be my kitchen if it wasn't always out of something. It differs depending on the day. Sometimes it's onions or bananas or maybe almond milk. Definitely absolutely these days, eggs have been sorely missing in action. But on the flip side, there are always those ingredients that my kitchen is never without. The usual suspects include those foods that have incredible resistance to instant expiration: cheese, bread, butter and deli meat.
Lucky for me, that's the entire ingredient list for my favorite French grilled cheese: croque monsieur. Never heard of it? You're going to want to make this French delight immediately.
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Croque monsieur, known as the French ham and cheese sandwich, is a comfort dish that I have some history with. I learned to absolutely love the dish from my mom who studied in Paris and spent her twenties in the City of Love (and good bread and cheese.) What's more, mention of croque monsieur was peppered into many a grammar exercises I had to complete in the 6 years of French classes I took throughout grade school. Needless to say, croque monsieur was on my mind on the regular when I came back home from school, so it was my most-requested snack (just ask my mom.)
In the French, the word "croque" means crunch and the "monsieur" is how you say mister. And Mister Crunch of France truly lives up to his reputation. Here's why.
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What Is Croque Monsieur?
Croque monsieur has a few things going for it that truly sets it apart from the all-American grilled cheese covergirls that star in Kraft Singles commercials.
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First, the sandwich typically includes slices of smoked ham tucked in with the cheese, whereas a grilled cheese is just cheese. This meaty addition is key to adding more heft and savory edge.
Secondly, a mixture of cheeses—often Swiss cheese and Gruyère—makes this grilled cheese sandwich a greater gourmet sum of its parts.
And last but not least, a heavy hand of béchamel sauce—a creamy French mother sauce made from thickening butter and flour then combining with milk—gets spread inside and on top of the sandwich to take things to the next level.
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To ensure a perfectly crunchy texture, home chefs (like the folks over at Serious Eats) often toast both sides of each slice of bread before they assemble the sandwich. This tends to take place in a pan, but the legendary French chef Jacques Pépin simplifies the process.
Instead of standing at the stove and flipping, his entire croque monsieur recipe starts and ends in the oven after assembly, meaning you get a crispy French delicacy, super fast. How fast? Ten minutes!
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How to Make Croque Monsieur
You can find Jacques' full recipe in the video shared above. But here's the gist: Jacques Pépin’s sheet pan croque monsieur starts by layering bread with ham, Swiss cheese and a rich béchamel sauce on a sheet pan. He repeats the layers, finishing with a generous cheese topping before baking it all in the oven until golden and bubbly, creating a deliciously crispy and gooey sandwich for a crowd.
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If you just wanted to revamp a basic grilled cheese recipe into a croque monsieur, it's really simple. Here's the step-by-step guide.
Spread the béchamel sauce on one side of both bread slices.
Instead of the cheese called for, add slices of Gruyère and/or Swiss cheese
Add a layer of sliced smoked ham
Close the sandwich and cook.
Pour more béchamel sauce on top, broil the sandwich in the oven and serve.
In France, croque monsieur is commonly enjoyed as a fork and knife affair, but you do you! As a then mischievous teen and now twenty-something, messily eating with my own two hands is my move. Why should you listen to me? I aced every single French grammar test (just ask my mom for the report cards.)
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