A Croque Madam is basically a French Ham & Cheese Sandwich. It’s made with soft white bread, thinly sliced ham, Gruyere cheese (sometimes other French/Alpine varieties), Mornay (cheese sauce), maybe some Dijon mustard and topped with an egg.
The Monte Cristo is basically the same thing, but drop the egg and add a “French-toast-like” egg batter coating, then fry the whole thing until warm and melty before dusting with powdered sugar.
I had preconceived notions about which sandwich I thought would be the most delicious, but after tasting I was surprised by which sandwich I preferred. I’ve left the directions/ingredients for the sandwiches, including the bread recipe, below. You don’t need the video to make this stuff, but if you prefer visuals I can go ahead and link that at the bottom, too. I hope you dig the sandos! Let me know if you have any questions.
**Mornay Sauce (French Cheese Sauce) Ingredients:**
* ½ cup Unsalted Butter (1 stick)
* ½ cup All-purpose Flour
* 1 1/2 – 2 cups Whole Milk, cold
* 1 Egg yolk
* 1 cup Gruyere Cheese, grated
* 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
* 1/2 tsp Nutmeg, ground
* Kosher Salt, to taste
* Black Pepper, to taste
**Mornay Sauce (French Cheese Sauce) Technique:**
1. Melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes until slightly yellow and the mixture smells like pie crust.
2. Pour in the cold milk whisking until smooth. Let the mixture come to a simmer, then add the cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Whisk until the cheese melts then stir in the egg and cook a minute more.
3. Remove from the heat and reserve on the side to cool if using immediately, or refrigerate until needed. This can be made a day in advance.
**Croque Madam / Monsieur Components**
* 2 slices Pan de Mie (Butter French Bread) \*see below
* Mornay Sauce, to spread \*see above
* Thinly Sliced Deli Ham
* Dijon Mustard, to spread (optional)
* Gruyere Cheese, to top for browning
**Monte Cristo Components**
* 2 slices Pan de Mie (Butter French Bread) \*see below
* Mornay Sauce, to spread \*see above
* Thinly Sliced Deli Ham
* Dijon Mustard, to spread (optional)
* Gruyere Cheese, to top for browning
* 2 Eggs
* 1 cup Whole Milk
* Powdered Sugar, to taste
**To Build the Sandwiches…**
1. **For the Croque Monsieur Sandwich:** Toast the Pan de Mie then spread on some mornay sauce. Lay on the gruyere cheese followed by the ham. Close the sandwich with a second piece of bread with mornay and more cheese. Top the sandwich with more Gruyere and broil until browned and bubbly.
2. **For the Croque Madam Sandwich:** Follow the steps above, but add a fried or poached egg (with a runny yolk) on top after broiling.
3. **For the Monte Cristo Sandwich:** Toast the Pan de Mie then spread on some mornay sauce. Lay on the gruyere cheese followed by the ham. Close the sandwich with a second piece of bread with mornay and more cheese. Mix the eggs and milk together to form a batter, dip the whole sandwich in to coat then lightly fry in a saute pan with butter until golden brown. Top with powdered sugar and serve.
Check Out The Instructional How-To Video Here: [https://youtu.be/NU9YWcQLJ7s](https://youtu.be/NU9YWcQLJ7s)
Dining and Cooking