Croque Monsieur

Another wonderful recipe from Martha Stewart! Boar’s Head meats and cheeses came through once again for us! I could not find the right cheese and Matt was there to help! If you have trouble pronouncing some of the French words in the recipe, please watch a video at the end of this post. 🙂

Croque Monsieur (click on recipe to get to Martha Stewart’s recipe!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk, heated
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese, divided
8 slices toasted or grilled country bread, sliced 1/4 inch thick
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 pound sliced baked ham, such as prosciutto cotto or jamon royale
Pinch herbes de Provence
Cornichons, for serving

DIRECTION

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high, and slowly add hot milk. Cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and add salt, pepper, nutmeg, and 1/2 cup Gruyere. Set bechamel sauce aside.

3. Lightly brush 4 slices bread with mustard.

4. Divide ham evenly between bread, and sprinkle each with 2 tablespoons Gruyere. Top with 4 more slices toasted bread. Slather tops with the bechamel sauce, and sprinkle with remaining Gruyere and herbes de Provence.