BRIOCHE CROQUE MONSIEUR
Crisp Mister? Quite literally the French to English definition of this wonderful beast of a sandwich. Cheese, gooey and buttery flavours this is most definitely not for the faint at heart! It's thought that one origin of the sandwich comes from when French workers left their sarnies on radiators whilst they worked creating the first French cheese and ham toasty.
Other variations include:
The addition of a fried egg served on top - a Croque Madame
The addition of tomatoes - a Croque Provençal
The substitution of blue cheese for Gruyere - a Croque Auvergnat
The substitution of smoked salmon for the ham - a Croque Norvégien
Ingredients
- 200 ml milk
- 20 g plain flour
- 20 g butter
- 4 slices Brioche bread or thick white bread
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 4 slices good quality ham
- 4 handfuls grated gruyere cheese
- salt and pepper to season
Instructions
To make the bèchamel sauce
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Pour the milk into a pan then add the flour and butter, slowly bringing up to the boil. Keep whisking until you have a thick creamy sauce. Season well.
To make your sarnie
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Heat the grill to medium- high and the oven to 200C Fan. Brush the brioche with butter and place on a baking tray to toast one side under the grill until golden.
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Remove the bread from the grill and build your two sandwiches. Place the bread butter side down, add a layer of dijon mustard, two slices of ham, cheese, bèchamel sauce, bread butter side up, more sauce and then a final layer of cheese on top. You got that??
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Bake in the oven for 10–15 minutes until golden and bubbling. Leave to cool slightly, then fill your face hole.
Recipe Notes
For an extra special treat why not check out our recipe for homemade BRIOCHE LOAF?
