Croque Monsieur

[idun]

I was wondering how any of you made Croque Monsieur.

I used a bechamel with lots of emmantael in it. In fact I use a LOT of emmantael cheese in mine.

I toast the bread lightly and butter it. Then put a nice good layer of ham on one slice, cover that in bechamel and a little grated emmantael on that. Top layer of toast and cover that in bechamel and then grated emmantael on the top.

As it tends to skid, I put cocktail sticks in to keep them in place whilst in the over.

And this is the bit that I have most trouble with really. I put a grill on a tray and the croques on that and have my oven on a mix of the oven getting hot and and the grill on partially.

They taste lovely, but the underneath is often not as crisp as I want, and I have tried putting the croques straight onto the baking tray and they seem to go soggy.

So how do you do yours?

[woolybanana]

White or brown bread sandwich with slice of ham and cheese (choose your favourites) inside, de-crusted, toasted in a croque toaster. Serve with favourite sauces and maybe gherkin.

[idun]

What's a croque toaster? I have never heard of one.

[woolybanana]

For example:

https://www.amazon.fr/Appareil-croque-monsieur-Tristar-SA-3060-extra-profondes/dp/B01B35NJ9E/ref=sr_1_5?__mk_fr_FR=ÅMÅŽÕÑ&crid=PCMORFJ9V0PM&dchild=1&keywords=croque+monsieur&qid=1610019710&sprefix=croque%2Caps%2C188&sr=8-5

[Lori]

I can't imagine using that Croque machine with lots of cheese cooking directly onto the gril plaques.  Wouldn't it be a sticky mess and perhaps burn the cheese??

I can see it making a toasty sandwich if all the ingredients were placed between the two slices of bread.

No?

[idun]

I have  a toastie maker, but as Lori said, the bechamel would just go all over the place. So I wouldn't use it for a croque.

Ours makes very nice basic toasties though.

[woolybanana]

Croques do not usually use bechamel but simple sliced cheese. Placed properly it should not run all over the place.

[Loiseau]

The best, juiciest ones do.

This version looks promising

https://www.750g.com/le-vrai-croque-monsieur-r99595.htm

[Lori]

Oh that looks delish ! 

[idun]

Now that was interesting, I always lightly toast the bread first and butter it. Also, I put more filling in.......... you should see the Pizza's I make![Www] Thin base, loadsa topping[:D]

Apart from that, looks quite like mine when cooked, but mine seem to have slightly soggy bottoms, is that because I toast the bread first, I wonder, I will try without toasting next time.

I use emmantael, I prefer it to comte on a croque, but that is down to taste, and we are all different.

One thing I do do, is make my bechamel on the evening before and fridge it so it is as shown, spreadable the next day.

[BritinBretagne]

I butter the outside of the bread like I had to do with my sandwich toaster in the old days, cheese and ham in the middle then pop it in the hottest oven of my Aga. Quick, easy and delicious.

[idun]

And that is how I make toasties, I am partial to cheddar and ham toasties. But a croque monsieur is just something different.

[BritinBretagne]

Please explain the difference. It’s a good CM to me and I’m the one making and eating them. For my cheese and ham toasties I do not butter the outside so the bread ends up completely different.

The woolly one has already questioned your definition of a CM so please don’t criticise mine.

[idun]

When making a toastie in a toastie machine, I was always told to butter the outside of the bread prior to going in the machine. And that is what I do.

I would only butter inside if I was actually putting it under the grill which I used to do  prior to having a toastie machine.  And I sometimes actually  just make a grilled toastie, not in the toastie machine, because they are different and that is what I fancy and they are different.  In either, I prefer ham and cheddar.

[idun]

And to add, a croque monsieur is a creamy ham and cheese toasted sandwich, what with the bechamel on the top AND inside it. And some use creme fraiche  instead of bechamel.

And a cheese and ham or what ever toastie, without the creaminess isn't a croque monsieur. As I said, I enjoy a toastie, these are just different plates of food. And both very enjoyable to eat.