Croque-monsieur/Recipes

Bar Boulud's Croque-monsieur		Yields 4 servings
Ingredients   For the béchamel sauce 3 tablespoons butter ¼ cup all-purpose flour 3 cups whole milk Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste ⅛ teaspoon white pepper, or to taste For 4 sandwiches 1 tablespoon butter, melted 8 slices high-quality Pullman loaf bread, sliced ⅓- to ½-inch thick 12 ounces (340 grams) Jambon de Paris or other high-quality wet-cured ham, 4 slices ¼ inch thick, or sliced very thin and evenly divided into 4 portions 10 ounces (284 grams) Gruyère cheese, coarsely grated with large holes of a box grater
Preparation: For the béchamel: In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and whisk in the flour until blended but not colored. Gradually whisk in the milk and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Set aside. For the sandwiches: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees with a baking rake in the upper-middle of the oven. Cover a baking pan with parchment paper and brush the paper lightly with the melted butter. On a work surface, place all 8 bread slices in a single layer and spread each one evenly to the edges with a fairly thick layer of béchamel; probably not all the béchamel will be needed. Divide the ham into four equal portions, trimming it if necessary so it will come within ¼ inch of the edges of the bread slices. Put the ham on top of four of the slices. Top all eight slices with equal amounts of the grated cheese, spreading it evenly to within ¼ inch of edges, and using up all the cheese. Place the four bread slices with just béchamel and cheese on them, cheese side up, on top of the slices that also have the ham. Transfer the sandwiches, cheese side up, onto the buttered parchment paper. Bake until the topping is melted and golden brown, about 18 to 22 minutes. Or bake the sandwiches for about 10 minutes, until they are throughly heated and the edges are beginning to brown. Then turn on the broiler and cook until bubbly and brown, about 5 minutes—it may be necessary to move the oven rack and sandwiches closer to the broiler.
Notes: Adapted and rewritten from the recipe from Bar Boulud, as published by the New York Times on June 25, 2008
Categories: French cuisine, Sandwiches
Related recipes: Grilled ham and cheese sandwich; Reuben sandwich