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France, Europe · Croque Monsieur

Comté Mornay Croque Monsieur

A Paris bistro version: Dijon, ham and Comté pan-crisped in butter, then crowned with a yolk-enriched Comté Mornay and blistered under the grill.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time35 min
DifficultyMedium

Method

  1. Put the milk, onion and bay leaf in a 16 cm saucepan and warm over medium-low heat for , until tiny bubbles appear around the edge. Turn off the heat, cover and leave to infuse for 10 minutes, then lift out the onion and bay leaf.

    Add in this stepWhole milk 200 mlOnion, thinly sliced 15 gBay leaf 1

    medium-low heat

  2. In another small pan, melt the sauce butter, add the flour and stir over medium-low heat for to make a pale roux. Whisk in the infused milk a little at a time until smooth, then raise to medium heat and keep whisking for until thick. Off the heat, quickly whisk in the yolk(s), then a third of the Comté, the nutmeg, salt and white pepper. Press cling film onto the surface so no skin forms.

    Add in this stepButter (for the sauce) 20 gAll-purpose flour (plain flour) 20 gEgg yolks 1Grated Comté (or Gruyère) 33 gWhole nutmeg (freshly grated) 1 pinchSalt 1 pinchWhite pepper ½ pinch

    medium-low heat→medium heat

  3. Spread half the bread slices thinly with Dijon, add the folded ham and a third of the Comté, and close with the remaining slices. Butter both outer sides of each sandwich thinly.

    Add in this stepThick sandwich bread (1.5 cm, or brioche loaf) 4Dijon mustard 2 tspGood-quality cooked ham, thinly sliced 100 gGrated Comté (or Gruyère) 33 gButter (for pan-frying) 20 g

  4. Preheat the oven on the grill (broiler) setting at 250°C for , with a baking tray ready on the second shelf from the top.

    oven

  5. Heat a 26 cm frying pan over medium heat, add the sandwiches and cook for , pressing lightly with a spatula. Flip and cook for more, until both sides are deep golden and the cheese inside starts to melt, then move them to the tray. If they do not all fit, work in 1 batch(es).

    medium heat

  6. Spread the Mornay thickly over the tops, scatter over the remaining Comté and grill on the top shelf of the oven for . Take them out as soon as the sauce puffs, bubbles and is spotted brown like a leopard.

    Add in this stepGrated Comté (or Gruyère) 34 g

    oven

  7. Finish with a twist of pepper, cut diagonally and serve at once, while the outside is crisp and the inside is molten.

    Add in this stepWhite pepper ½ pinch

Cook's tip

Pan-frying first crisps the bread all the way through; the grill then gratinates only the top, so the bread does not dry out. Always add the yolk off the heat or it will curdle. A Comté aged 12 months or more tastes nuttier.

Cooking it at camp

Make the Mornay at home and carry it in a sealed container. At the campsite, fry the sandwiches in butter in a cast-iron pan, add the sauce and cheese on top, cover and leave on low heat for 3 to 4 minutes until it melts and warms through (it will not brown like under a grill).