Croque Monsieur

Ingredients

For The Bechame Sauce

4 Tbsp. salted butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper, plus more for sprinkling

Pinch ground nutmeg

2 cups warm milk

For The Sandwiches

6 Tbsp. salted butter, at room temperature

12 slices hearty white sandwich bread

2 Tbsp. dijon mustard

3/4 lb. ham, sliced (at least 12 slices)

1 lb. gruyère cheese, shredded and divided

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives, for sprinkling

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375°F .

For the béchamel sauce: In a medium saucepan,

heat the butter over medium heat until melted

and the foaming subsides. (Do not let it

brown.) Whisk in the flour, salt, pepper, and

nutmeg until well combined. Cook, whisking

constantly, until the raw flour smell disappears,

1 to 2 minutes. Slowly stream in the warm milk,

whisking constantly until no lumps remain.

Continue whisking over medium heat and

occasionally scraping the bottom and sides of

the saucepan with a rubber spatula until the

sauce thickens to a pudding-like texture, 4 to 5

minutes. Pour the sauce into a medium bowl

and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the

surface so it does not form a skin

3

For the sandwiches: Evenly spread about 1/2

tablespoon of butter on 1 side of each slice of

bread. Place 6 slices, butter-side down, on a

rimmed baking sheet. Evenly spread about 1

teaspoon of dijon mustard on each slice of bread

on the baking sheet. Place 2 folded slices of ham

on top of the mustard. Sprinkle the ham with

about ½ cup (2 ounces) of the cheese. Spread

about 1 tablespoon of béchamel sauce on the

unbuttered side of the remaining 6 slices of

bread. Place the bread, béchamel-side down, on

top of the cheese.

Bake the sandwiches on the center rack of the

oven until the bread is lightly golden and the

cheese is starting to melt, 6 to 8 minutes.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and

carefully flip the sandwiches. Bake the other

side until lightly golden, about 6 minutes.

Remove the baking sheet and increase the oven

temperature to broil.

Spoon about 3 tablespoons of béchamel sauce

on each of the sandwiches, spreading to

completely cover the top slice of bread. Sprinkle

about 2 tablespoons (½ ounce) of the remaining

cheese on each sandwich, topping the béchamel.

Broil the sandwiches on the center rack of the

oven, watching carefully and rotating the baking

sheet as needed, until the cheese is bubbling

and beginning to brown, 1 to 4 minutes.

Sprinkle the sandwiches with fresh chives and

pepper, and serve hot.

Tip: Warming the milk before adding it to the sauce will help reduce the

amount of lumps, which means less whisking and less stress!