Whether you’ve heard of it or not Croque Monsieur is a famous French sandwich, literally translated to a gentleman’s sandwich. A hundred years later a grilled ham and cheese needs no explanation (or recipe) but it was the leftover Swiss cheese I had in my fridge that reminded me of this classic.

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As with any well known recipe there are many variations so feel free to switch it up to suit your taste. However, I often recommend you try some classic dishes as they were created first. Then you can decide if there is some tweak you want to make next time.

I wasn't sure of the exact elements of a Croque Monsieur so of course I did some research to refresh my memory.

The Croque Monsieur is a grilled ham and Swiss cheese sandwich topped with béchamel sauce, the French term for white sauce. Before I describe the finer points of the classic Croque Monsieur there are two popular variations of this sandwich that you may have heard of.

Croque Madame – Croque Monsieur with a fried egg on top
Monte Cristo – Croque Monsieur dipped in egg and pan-fried

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Croque Monsieur, the famous French sandwich made with ham and Swiss cheese topped with white sauce.

The Bread

The original French Croque Monsieur was made with brioche bread that is slightly sweeter than regular bread. Many sources say the bread must be white so I bought gluten free sliced white bread for my sandwich. Be sure to spread one side of the bread with Dijon mustard.

The Cheese

I recently bought imported Emmanthal and Gruyere to make French Onion Soup so that was the impetus for this sandwich. Domestic Swiss cheese will be fine unless you’re a super taster. Either way it’s a good opportunity to support a smaller, local cheese shop and buy something you haven't had for awhile.

White Sauce (Béchamel Sauce)

Béchamel sauce is a classic French sauce. In North America we call it white sauce, when you add cheese we call it cheese sauce. I love both white sauce and cheese sauce. If you don’t, you probably won’t want to try this sandwich.

White sauce is a versatile recipe that was first made with wheat flour. Yet many cooks, long before we heard of gluten free, were making their white sauce with cornstarch. Thirty years ago I wrote the recipe for this sauce on a container and filled it with cornstarch. When I began cooking gluten free nothing changed, I still make the same sauce.

Get The Tools

Every kitchen needs tools and when you have the right tool for the job it is always easier. A gluten free lifestyle might require you to take some of your tools with you when you travel so here are some options to consider.

A Panini maker often has ridges to make the lines like a sandwich you might get at a restaurant.
This multi purpose Sandwich Maker has inserts for waffles or steak.
A toaster oven is a multiple purpose tool that many gluten free cooks buy instead of a second toaster. This Hamilton Beach 2-in-1 counter top oven and long slot toaster tells me someone was thinking! If you buy it let me know.
Failing all of the above a good old non-stick frying pan works just fine.

I’d love to hear if you tried this sandwich or a variation and what you thought of it. Let me know in the comments below.

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Croque Monsieur

Cinde Little

Croque Monsieur is a famous French sandwich. It's really just a grilled ham and Swiss cheese with white sauce but if that sounds good try it!

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Prep Time 5

Course brunch

Cuisine French

Servings sandwiches

Ingredients

WHITE SAUCE

2 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon cornstarch increase to 1½ tablespoon if it isn't as thick as you like
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
1 cup milk (1% or higher)

SANDWICHES

8 slices gluten free white bread (or any sandwich bread)
butter for both sides of bread
4 slices ham
Dijon mustard
sliced Swiss cheese (Gruyere or Emmenthal)

FINISHING

½ cup grated Swiss or Parmesan cheese

Instructions

MAKE WHITE SAUCE

Melt butter in small saucepan.
Add cornstarch, salt and pepper, whisk until smooth. Stir occasionally until bubbly.
Slowly pour in a third of the milk. Stir occasionally as it thickens.
Add the next third and allow sauce to thicken again.
Add the final third, stirring until sauce is thick and smooth.

MAKE SANDWICHES

Set bread on a board to make 4 sandwiches. Butter outside of all bread slices.
Spread one side of each sandwich with Dijon mustard and cover with ham.
Cover ham with single layer of sliced cheese. Close sandwiches.
Preheat griddle or non-stick frying pan. Grill sandwiches on both sides until golden and cheese is melted.

FINAL ASSEMBLY

Preheat broiler and place sandwiches on lined baking sheet.
Spread warm white sauce on top of each sandwich and sprinkle with shredded cheese.
Broil until top is brown and bubbly. Serve immediately.

Notes

NOTE - You can over stir a sauce with cornstarch and break it. To avoid this simply stir off and on to preventing it from sticking to the bottom.

I cut the sandwiches as soon as they're grilled then place the whole sandwich on a baking sheet. This makes it easier to prop one piece against the other for serving.

Keyword gluten free croque monsieur

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