During a trip to Paris and a visit with master fromager Laurent Dubois, the team from Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Television was reminded just how delicious a well-made croque monsieur can be. Dubois’ version of the iconic French ham and cheese sandwich inspired them to develop a simple, fuss-free recipe that’s doable on a weeknight on Season Eight (“New Bistro Classics.”)
A béchamel, or flour-thickened white sauce, is classic, but we take a shortcut and stir together crème fraîche, shredded Gruyère cheese (or another nutty-tasting French Alpine cheese such as Comté), a couple tablespoons of mustard and a small measure of nutmeg. The mixture mimics the sauciness of a roux-thickened béchamel.
Instead of griddling the sandwiches one or two at a time, we cook four at once on a baking sheet in the oven. They’re finished with a final slather of “sauce” and a blast of broiler heat for browning. Sliced sandwich bread with a sturdy crumb rather than a soft, cottony texture is best. We modeled our recipe on Dubois’ three-layer creation, so you will need a total of 12 slices of bread for four sandwiches.
Don’t substitute sour cream for the crème fraîche in this recipe. Crème fraîche is higher in fat and will stand up to high heat; sour cream is leaner and will curdle under the broiler. Also, keep a close watch on the sandwiches as they broil because they can scorch in a matter of seconds.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
- 1⁄2 cup crème fraîche
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1⁄2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper
- 6 ounces Gruyère or Comté cheese, shredded (11⁄2 cups)
- 6 ounces thinly sliced deli ham
- 12 slices sturdy white sandwich bread
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, room temperature
TO PREPARE
STEP ONE. Heat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the middle position.
STEP TWO. In a small bowl, whisk together the crème fraîche, mustard, nutmeg and 1⁄4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Stir in the cheese; set aside. Divide the ham into 4 stacks to make portioning easier.
STEP THREE. Spread one side of each of 8 slices of bread with the butter. Place 4 slices, buttered side down, on a broiler-safe rimmed baking sheet, then spread 1 tablespoon cheese mixture onto each. Top each with half of a ham stack. Place a slice of unbuttered bread on top of each ham layer. Repeat the layering of 1 tablespoon cheese mixture onto each sandwich, followed by the remaining ham, then top with the remaining buttered bread, with the buttered sides facing up. Bake for 10 minutes.
STEP FOUR. Using a wide metal spatula, flip each sandwich. Bake until the tops of the sandwiches are lightly browned, 7 to 9 minutes.
STEP FIVE. Remove the baking sheet from the oven; heat the broiler. Spread each sandwich with the remaining cheese mixture, dividing it evenly. Broil until the surfaces are bubbling and spotty brown, 1 to 11⁄2 minutes.
STEP SIX. Transfer the sandwiches to a wire rack and cool for about 5 minutes. To serve, cut each sandwich in half.
