..where teens can learn to cook restaurant quality meals for the family
The UpCooked Croque Monsieur
Croque Monsieurs can be incredible when done right. And you're about to do it right. I used to eat them in Belgium all the time when I lived there. I quickly learned you could also order a 'Croque Madame' which is a croque monsieur with a fried egg on top. Which is far better! They go amazing with pickles and a salad, and also a bit of ketchup. But they're even more amazing when you do what we're going to do in this recipe, which is add a béchamel sauce! Imagine that oozing out the sides. You don't have to add the béchamel sauce, but if you don't, we'd suggest adding a bit more cheese. Make a decision on that before you start!
ADJUST SERVINGS
Most of our recipes are for 4 people. You can check and adjust the serving size by clicking on the red number above.
BEFORE YOU START
This Croque Madame stands out due to its perfectly balanced béchamel sauce and the high-quality Gruyère cheese that melts beautifully. The Dijon mustard adds a subtle tanginess, enhancing the richness of the sandwich. Serving it with a fresh, zesty salad helps to cut through the richness, making this a balanced and satisfying meal.
GET SHOPPING!
This is a reminder to check what ingredients you need to buy and add them to your shopping list. It’s good to do your own food shopping, but at the very least, you’re head chef, so send a family member out to the shops for you!
GET ORGANISED
Remember ‘Skill 2’ of the Big 5: Become super-organised.:
Add your own private notes:
Equipment
- Medium saucepan (If you're making the béchamel sauce)
- Whisk (If you're making the béchamel sauce)
- Baking Tray
- Non-stick frying pan
- Spatula
- Oven
- Cheese grater
- Salad bowl
- Knife
- chopping board
Ingredients
- 8 slices white bread
- 200 g Gruyère cheese
- 4 slices ham
- 4 eggs
- 60 g unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp plain flour (If you're making the béchamel sauce)
- 150 ml whole milk (If you're making the béchamel sauce)
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard (If you're making the béchamel sauce)
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 100 g mixed salad greens
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- A mix of pickles (pickled onions, gurkins etc)
- Ketchup to suit
Instructions
Prep in Advance
- Wash your hands.
- Gather all necessary utensils and ingredients.
- Grate your 200 g Gruyère cheese
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) or use a sandwich grill like a George Foreman! (That's what we use)
Let’s Cook!
IF you're making the béchamel sauce:
- Melt 60 g unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Stir in 1 tbsp plain flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, whisking continuously until smooth.
- Gradually add 150 ml whole milk whisking constantly to avoid lumps.
- Continue to cook until the sauce thickens, about 3-4 minutes. Then your béchamel is done 🙂
- Remove from heat, stir in 1 tsp Dijon mustard, and season with salt and black pepper.
For the main croque monsieur
- Spread a thin layer of butter on one side of each bread slice.
- OK, you're going to place the BOTTOM halves of each sandwich down on the baking tray. Ready to be loaded up. Make sure they are butter side down because the butter is there to stop them sticking to the pan!!
- Spread a spoonful of béchamel sauce on each slice. You're going to build this sandwich up. If you're not using béchamel sauce, just add your cheese.
- Add a slice of ham and sprinkle with a generous amount of grated Gruyère cheese. (Just add the amount of cheese you think will work).
- Top with another slice of bread, butter side up.
- Add some grated cheese to the top of the top slice! This makes such a difference. You're going to melt or toast this on. It should go golden and taste amazing.
- Optionally grind some black pepper onto the top too.
- Place the sandwiches in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until golden brown and the cheese is melted.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 2 tbsp red wine vinegar, and 4 tbsp olive oil.
- Season the dressing with salt and black pepper.
- Toss the mixed salad greens with the dressing in a large salad bowl.
- Now, are you making "croque madame" or "croque monsieur"? (Or as us English put it, "do you wanna sling an egg on top?") If you don't, then jump down a few steps to removing the sandwiches from the oven once they're done. If you want an egg, heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat.
- Melt a small knob of butter in the pan.
- Crack 4 eggs into the pan and cook until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny, about 3-4 minutes.
- Remove the sandwiches from the oven.
- Place a fried egg on top of each sandwich to create the Croque Madame.
- Load some pickles on each plate, and grab some ketchup!
- Serve immediately with the salad on the side.
- Tell us how nice it is in the comments below – or better still, please shout about it on social media!
Please share with us how you went!We need your feedback so we can improve the recipes and help others succeed! Please let us know by leaving a comment 🙂