There are so many variations and conflicting recipes on this cooked sandwich that it is sometimes difficult to discern between what is traditional and what is added.
It seems that the recipe appeared for the first time in Paris around 1900. The first official mention is made by Marcel Proust in the novel "In the shadow of the girls in bloom" where he unequivocally names Croque Monsieur but without clarifying - it was out of the topic - the ingredients, much less how it was prepared. The way he refers to this preparation means that by 1918 many readers knew what he was referring to and it was therefore a popular recipe at the time.
At the time of its appearance it consisted of two slices of sliced bread enclosing a slice of cheese and another of York ham. This sandwich was grilled or baked so that the bread was toasted and the cheese, when melted, joined both slices of bread. It's that simple.
Later it was covered with a pseudo-béchamel sauce to make it tastier, what we would call "phase 2" and then the chaos began: covered with bechamel sauce, au gratin, battered in egg and then fried, etc, etc. In this way, when you now order a Croque Monsieur in France, you don't know very well what they are going to serve you. The recipe that I reproduce is the one corresponding to "phase 2" which is probably the one that Marcel Proust knew.
INGREDIENTS (1 person)
- 2 slices of sliced bread
- 1 slice of York ham
- 1 slice of cheese (emmental, gruyere etc)
- Unsalted butter
- 4 tablespoons of milk
- 1 handful of grated cheese (again emmental, gruyere etc)
- Salt
- Nutmeg
- ground black pepper
Cover one side of the bread slices with butter.
On the buttered side, place the slice of cheese and the York ham on top. We close with the other slice of bread again with the face painted with butter towards the inside.
In a bowl, mix the milk with the grated cheese, a pinch of nutmeg, another of salt and a couple of turns of the pepper mill.
Let's pour the sauce over the sandwich.
We take to the oven, connect the grill and keep until the grated cheese has melted and the inner sliced cheese too.
Serve hot and enjoy.
There is a version called Croque Madame in which an egg is added to the top of the sandwich.
Croque Monsieur is usually served for breakfast but its suits to any moment of the day.