Fancy French Sammie-the Croque Monsieur

I have yet to meet a person that doesn't love a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. Leave it to the French to "kick it up a notch" with the Croque Monsier (aka "The Crispy Mister"). Some people might think this is overkill for a ham sandwich but when its all put together this is a MEAL.

A little history… Croque Monsieur Sandwiches were first served in 1910 in the "Le Trou dans le Mur" café on the Boulevard des Capucines in Paris, across from the Café de la paix. [Larousse Gastronomique. 1988 English edition. Page 339.].

There are so many variations to this Sammie. Some add apples, or pears, different cheeses, breads, hams and mustards. The recipe below is a basic Croque Monsieur doctored up with some yummy béchamel. We often see the Croque Madame as an option on menu's. Here in the US it usually means an egg on top. Traditionally in France it means to substitute chicken for the ham.

Traditional CM's are fantastic for entertaining as an appie or the main course. Depending on which course it will be served at will dictate the bread. If I am serving as an appie I will use a good white bread, cut off the crusts, omit the béchamel if you want and cut it into 4 or 8 triangles. If you do 8 triangles stick toothpicks in them so people can just pop them in their mouth. I have yet to have any leftovers. If you are serving this as a main I pick a nice French bread (not a baguette). When prepping these in advance with the béchamel sauce first assemble the sandwiches and then cook the béchamel but be sure to cover the sauce with a piece of buttered wax paper. The paper must touch the entire surface of the sauce. It is best to reheat this over a double boiler. Serve this either with salad, your favorite soup or if you're feeling naughty, some fries!

Croque Monsier
4 sandwiches

 3 T butter
3 T flour
1 C milk
2 T Parmesean Reggiano grated
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Salt/pepper
8 slices of bread
16 slices of Black Forest Ham thin sliced
2 1/3 Cups Gruyere shredded
Dijon Mustard

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
   
2. To make béchamel sauce: In a small saucepan on low heat, melt butter until foamy. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly with a flat sauce whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes. Slowly add milk and nutmeg to saucepan. Whisking constantly, bring to a simmer; continue cooking until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in Parmigiano and 2 tbsp grated Gruyère. Reserve.
   
3. Lightly and evenly butter bread slices on both sides and toast both sides in sauté pan over low heat until just golden brown.
   
4. Spread one side of each toasted slice with mustard.
   
5. Evenly place the ham slices and about ½ cup Gruyère cheese on four of the bread slices.
   
6. Top each with one of remaining bread slices, mustard-side down.
   
7. Spread béchamel sauce to cover the top of each sandwich (crusts, too).
   
8. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining Gruyère cheese.
   
9. Place on oven-safe sheet pan and bake 5 minutes at 350 degrees, then place under lit broiler until cheese mixture on top is bubbling and lightly browned, about 3 minutes