Let’s put one thing to bed right at the outset of this post – croque monsieur (which is of course French) is basically a cheese and ham toastie. There, I said it. However, it’s more than just a cheese and ham toastie – it is heaven in toasted bread form! Here’s my take on this classic dish which a few twists from the norm.
The first twist is that, due to my local Co-Op Food Store not stocking it, the Gruyere cheese is substituted for a 2:1 blend of grated mozzarella and strong mature cheddar. I will one day make this with the proper French cheese of course – when I remember to buy some. Other than that this is a pretty standard recipe that even a person with only basic cookery skills could prepare and master. You will also have to bear with me on the ingredient quantities as I don’t weight anything and it’s cooking by instinct.
What you will need
- 2 thick slices of crusty white loaf (about 1.5cm thick)
- 3-4 slices ham (i’ll let you choose what sort whether is be the cheapest stuff you can find or the finest prosciutto)
- a good handful of grated mozerella/stong cheddar blend (2:1 mix)
- a knob of butter (yes you could use oil but butter tastes better!)
How to make it
- Butter both clices of bread
- Take one slice (butter side up) and put on half the cheese, then add you ham (folding it over), add the remaining cheese and the other slice of bread
- Press the sandwich together firmly
- Heat half of the butter on you hot plate or large frying pan.
- Once the butter had melted place you sandwich on the plate/pan
- Press down with a spatulla and heat for a couple of minutes until the butter has soaked in and the cheese has started to melt
- Take the sandwich off and put the remaining butter on the plate/pan and melt it
- Put the sandwich back on, this time the un-cooked side down and heat again for a couple of minutes, pressing down with a spatula
And that’s it – voila!
