My grandmother's croque monsieur recipe
I don't know if it's a me thing or if other people did this, but my grandmother always breaded and fried croque monsieur. Can't lie the crispy outside does add a lot to the whole experience. I've also made a version with kimchi instead of ham which although untraditional is really delicious. The acidity and heat cuts through the fattiness beautifully.
Ingredients: (serves )
Cheesy béchamel sauce:
25g salted butter
25g plain flour
250mL milk
1 tsp dijon mustard
60g cheese, grated ( I use comté or vintage cheddar)
Croque monsieur:
4 slices of white bread (I use sourdough)
2 slices of ham or 4 Tbs kimchi
30g cheese, sliced or grated
1 egg
100mL milk
Breadcrumbs
Method:
Making the béchamel:
Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium high heat, then add the flour and whisk.
Cook of the flour and butter mix on medium heat while whisking for 2 minutes.
Slowly add the milk while whisking. Make sure the mixture is smooth before adding more milk to remove any potential for lumps.
Add the grated cheese and heat while stirring with a wooden spoon until you reach the desired thickness, you should be able to leave a mark on the back of the spoon with your finger. If there are any lumps you can strain the sauce through a sieve to remove them.
Leave to cool down and thicken further.
Making the croque monsieur:
This is a super simple no fuss tomato sauce that still fully delivers on flavour and satisfaction.
Add a spoonful of sauce on top of two slices of bread, then top with a slice of ham (or 2 Tbs of kimchi) and a bit of grated/sliced cheese.
Bring the 2 sliced together, and repeat the process to make the second sandwich.
Mix together the egg and milk in a deep dish, fill a second dish with breadcrumbs.
Soak all sides of the sandwiches in the egg/milk mixture then cover with breadcrumbs.
Shallow fry in vegetable oil until golden brown on all sides.
Place onto kitchen roll and serve the croque monsieur while it's hot.
Bon appétit!
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