Nelly's croque monsieur

Elevate your next toastie by recreating this French icon at home. In addition to ham and cheese, you'll be adding layers of mustard mayo and béchamel sauce into the mix. Truffle oil – and freshly shaved truffles, if you have access to these – bring even extra decadence.

Croque Monsieur Credit: Kitti Gould

• serves

  2

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

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Ingredients

• 4 slices white sourdough or crusty white bread
• 20 g butter, melted
• 4 thin slices smoked ham
• 50 g grated Gruyere cheese
• shaved truffles, optional

Béchamel sauce

• 125 ml (½ cup) milk
• 125 ml (½ cup) thin cream
• 20 g butter
• 20 g plain flour
• 1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard
• fresh nutmeg, grated
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 100 g grated gruyere cheese
• drizzle of truffle oil

Mustard mayo

• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise

Instructions

1. For the béchamel, place the milk and cream in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir together.
2. Melt the butter with the flour in another pan and cook over a gentle heat until it smells biscuity. Gradually whisk in the warm milk mixture and bring to a gentle boil, stirring regularly. Add the Dijon mustard, a little grating of nutmeg and some seasoning, then the cheese. It should be a lovely thick creamy sauce with a deep flavour. Remove from the heat, stir in a drizzle of truffle oil and set aside.
3. For the mustard mayo, place the mustard and mayo in a bowl and stir to combine.
4. Brush the slices of bread with melted butter. Turn the bread slices over and spread each slice with mustard mayo. Top 2 pieces with a layer of ham, then with a thick layer of bechamel sauce. Scatter over a little extra gruyere cheese and thinly shaved fresh truffles if using, then place the lids on top, buttered side up.
5. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large heavy-based frying pan or chargrill pan over high heat. Cook the sandwiches until golden and crisp. Cut in half and serve.

 

Photography by Kitti Gould.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

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