French🍞 Bread & bakery

Croque Monsieur

Name: Croque Monsieur
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: ~4-6 slices focaccia bread; ~3 tbsp butter; ~3 tbsp flour; ~1½ cups milk; a dash heavy cream or crème fraîche; ~2 egg yolks; ~1½ cups Gruyère cheese; ~½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano; ~2-3 tsp Dijon mustard; ~8 oz uncured ham (jambon)

⏱ 30 min

A classic French sandwich originating from Paris in 1901, featuring focaccia or pain de mie bread layered with rich Mornay sauce (béchamel enriched with cheese), savory uncured ham, and Gruyère cheese. This version elevates the traditional recipe by using focaccia bread instead of pain de mie for superior texture and flavor.

Adapted from a video by Bruno Albouze

Croque Monsieur – Bruno Albouze

Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

focaccia breadcut into 4 by 4 inch (10 cm) squares, split horizontally in half~4-6 slicesest.
butterfor making the roux in Mornay sauce~3 tbspest.
flourfor making the roux in Mornay sauce~3 tbspest.
milkfor the béchamel base~1½ cupsest.
heavy cream or crème fraîcheoptional, to enrich the saucea dash
egg yolksto enrich the Mornay sauce~2est.
Gruyère cheesegrated, for the Mornay sauce~1½ cupsest.
Parmigiano-Reggiano

Steps

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1
Make the Mornay sauce base: melt butter over medium heat, add flour and cook for 2 minutes to form a roux, then turn off heat and let cool.
2
Pour boiled milk into the cooled roux, bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 2 minutes while whisking constantly.
3
Turn off heat, add egg yolks and mix well, then stir in Gruyère and Parmigiano-Reggiano to transform the béchamel into rich Mornay sauce.
4
Cut the focaccia bread into 4 by 4 inch (10 cm) squares and split each piece horizontally in half.
5
Spread a thin layer of Dijon mustard on one side of the bread (optional), then spread Mornay sauce on both sides.
6
Layer the sandwich with cheese, more sauce, uncured ham, and Mornay sauce in sequence, close the sandwich and cover the top with additional Mornay sauce.
7
Top generously with Parmigiano-Reggiano and bake in a preheated oven at 450°F (230°C) for about 12 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown.

Croque Monsieur

Ingredients

Steps

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