Croque Monsieur/Madame
A Croque Monsieur and Madame is a staple in French cuisine. You can find it in cafes and eateries all over Paris. Why is it so popular? Such a simple French dish that landed on the menus of many Parisian restaurants – how?
As with many origins of food recipes, there isn’t one answer. There is a theory that it happened by accident! Some French workers placed their lunches a bit too close to a hot radiator, causing the cheese to melt and the bread to get toasted.
The more elaborate origin story of this iconic sandwich dates back to 1901, at a Paris brasserie on the Boulevard des Capucines. The chef ran out of baguettes for making their sandwich of the day, and so improvised by slicing up a pain de mie (a type of French bread very similar to the standard white sandwich bread), filling it with ham and cheese and baking it until it was nice and crispy.
Then why is it called Croque Monsieur?
The name is derived from the crispy bread of the sandwich, the French verb croquer meaning “to bite”. The Monsieur is derived from a reply from the chef who created the sandwich, after being asked about the origin of the ham. He was asked by a customer, and he replied while pointing at the butcher of the town, saying, “C’est la viande de monsieur (It’s that guy’s meat).”
The sandwich was referred to its famous name for the first time in the year 1910, when it was written in a Parisian menu. It was also featured in 1918 Proust’s novel, In Search of Lost Time.
In 1960, the Croque Madame was invented by adding a sunny-side up egg on top of a typical Croque Monsieur. The reason why it’s called a Croque Madame is because the egg resembles a woman’s hat.
Since then, chefs all around the world have become creative with this classic dish, alternating with different meats and cheeses!
Croque Monsieur/Croque Madame
Ingredients
- 30 g (2 tbsp) butter
- 30 g (2 tbsp) flour
- 500 ml (2 cups) warm milk
- Nutmeg, salt, and pepper
- 6 white bread slices
- 12 turkey cold cuts
- 175 g Gruyère or Emmental cheese
- 50 g Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Combine the roux by melting the butter and adding the flour.
- Cook the raw flour taste for about 2-3 minutes.
- Slowly incorporate the warm milk into the mixture and whisk to remove any lumps.
- Grate nutmeg and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Preheat oven to 200ºC (400ºF).
- Toast the bread slices in the oven for about 5 minutes, turning halfway through.
- Add a teaspoon of Dijon mustard to the slice.
- Lay about 4-6 pieces of turkey breast across the slice.
- Top with a generous amount of grated cheese.
- Close the sandwich with another slice.
- Add a generous amount of béchamel on the top slice, finishing it off with more grated cheese.
- Place in the oven for 5 minutes, until the inside of the cheese melts, then broil until the top is browned and golden.
- To turn a Croque Monsieur into a Croque Madame, all you have to do is add a sunny-side up egg on top!
Notes:
- Classical Croque Monsieur and Croque Madame usually uses ham, I substituted it for Turkey instead. Roast beef would be absolutely divine with this recipe, however I tried to keep it as close to the original as possible.
- You can fold in grated cheese into the béchamel after it's done, but I personally find that the cheese within the sandwich is enough.
- Make sure that you cover the entire toast with béchamel to avoid burning the edges as you broil.
- Cutting the crusts off the toast is optional.
- You may use any type of artisan bread for this recipe. I decided to keep it as authentic and classic as possible.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
641.64Fat (grams)
37.37Sat. Fat (grams)
20.30Carbs (grams)
34.33Fiber (grams)
1.26Net carbs
33.08Sugar (grams)
14.50Protein (grams)
47.06Sodium (milligrams)
1937.39Cholesterol (grams)
118.88The béchamel sauce alone is 581 calories and I only added about a tablespoon on each sandwich. This means that a serving of a Croque Monsieur is approximately 412 calories.
Bon appétit!
