France's definitive hot sandwich — a grilled ham and cheese toastie topped with béchamel sauce and more cheese, then gratinéed until golden; add a fried egg on top and it becomes a croque-madame; a staple of French café menus since the early 20th century.
The béchamel difference
What distinguishes a croque-monsieur from an ordinary ham and cheese toastie is the béchamel — a white sauce spooned over the top of the sandwich before it goes under the grill. The béchamel merges with the grated cheese on top, forming a thick, creamy crust. Inside, the sandwich is also layered with cheese and mustard. The result is far richer than any simple sandwich.
Assembly and cooking
Ham is laid between two slices of bread with cheese and sometimes a thin spread of Dijon mustard. The outside of the bread is buttered; the sandwich is either pan-fried first or grilled from cold. Béchamel is spooned over the top surface, more cheese is added, and the whole goes under a hot grill until the top is deeply golden and bubbling.
Croque-madame
The croque-madame is a croque-monsieur with a fried egg placed on top. The egg’s yolk — ideally left runny — provides a sauce when broken. The feminine name is said to refer to the egg resembling a woman’s hat.
Café culture
The croque-monsieur appears on French café menus from around 1910. It became the quintessential quick lunch of Parisian café culture — filling, warming, and fast to prepare. Today it appears on café and brasserie menus throughout France essentially unchanged.
Find more foods by letter
Croque-Monsieur starts with C and ends with R. Browse other foods along the same letter.
Foods that contain a letter from "Croque-Monsieur":