Open Faced Croque Monsieur
Open Faced Croque Monsieur – If there’s one comforting classic everyone can agree on, it’s gooey, melty cheese.
Anyone who’s made homemade macaroni and cheese will recognize the cheese sauce used in this genius sammie: It’s a creamy béchamel, thickened with the traditional flour-butter roux.
Assembling the sandwiches is a fun hands-on activity for the whole family: Spread Dijon onto thick slices of bread, layer on the ham, pour on the cheese sauce, then sprinkle on some Parmesan.
Then, let the broiler do its magic until the cheese is bubbling and the whole sandwich is warm. It’s time to devour—no utensils necessary.
Open Faced Croque Monsieur Recipe
The Croque Monsieur is a decadent take on the ham-and-cheese sandwich, and this open-faced version is easy to make.
Melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan.
Add the flour, stirring with a wooden spoon until it smells nutty and is slightly browned, about 2 minutes.
Slowly pour the milk into the pot and cook, whisking, until the sauce is thickened.
Remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, the nutmeg, and Gruyère until the cheese is melted.
Heat broiler to high with the rack 6 inches from the flame.
Place the bread on a baking sheet.
Lightly brush half the bread with mustard and layer on the ham.
Spoon the cheese sauce over the bread and sprinkle with the Parmesan.
Broil until the sauce is bubbly and lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes.
Serve warm.
Open Faced Croque Monsieur Ingredients
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup warm milk
Kosher salt and black pepper
Pinch nutmeg
1 cup grated Gruyère
8 ounces thick country-style or whole-grain bread, crusts removed
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
6 ounces ham, thinly sliced
⅓ cup finely grated Parmesan
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