• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Pudge Factor

A food blog with everyday recipes, step-by-step directions and photos, and detailed recipes.

  • Home
  • Meet Chula and Pudge Factor®
  • Recipes by Category
  • Just Recipes
Home » Breads » Perfect Croque Monsieur and Croque Madame

Perfect Croque Monsieur and Croque Madame

By Chula King · May 1, 2017 · Updated December 1, 2020 4 Comments

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Yummly
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

The perfect Croque Monsieur or Croque Madame is a simple creation. However, if you try to order one in an American restaurant, you’ll likely receive quizzical look. Not so if you ordered a grilled cheese sandwich. Croque Monsieur, literally translated as “crunch sir” is somewhat of a French grilled cheese sandwich. However, it is so much more as I’ll explain shortly. Add a fried egg on top and you have a Croque Madame! Both are awesome for your Mother’s Day brunch.

Croque Monsieur and Madame

Susan and I ate Croque Monsieurs almost every day when we were in Paris. Interestingly, we never had quite the same Croque Monsieur from one bistro to the next. Our all time favorite was an open-faced Croque Monsieur which I’m featuring here.

In our opinion, the perfect Croque Monsieur is a simple creation. It starts with a thin piece of white bread, that is layered with the perfect amount of ham, béchamel sauce, and Gruyère cheese. You can top it with another piece of bread if you like, but in our opinion, the open face version is the absolute best! In addition, we never found mustard or any other condiment included on any Croque Monsieur in Paris.

Making the Béchamel Sauce:

Béchamel sauce is a basic white sauce made with butter, all-purpose flour, milk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. For the Croque Monsieur and Madames, I’ve found that a somewhat thicker béchamel sauce works best. I used 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour and 1 cup of hot milk, seasoned with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg to produce the perfect consistency.

Making the Croque Monsieur and Croque Madame:

I started by lightly toasting the bread. Since it was just the Master Taste Tester and me, I toasted two pieces of thin white bread. Then, I added some thinly sliced ham to both pieces of bread. Next, I topped the ham with some béchamel sauce, and finished it off with some shredded Gruyère cheese.

Croque Monsieur and Madame

I popped the Croques into a preheated 375° F oven for about 15 minutes until the cheese was nicely melted and the ingredients heated throughout. Then, I finished them off under the broiler for several minutes to lightly brown the cheese. When I pulled them out of the oven, the cheese was bubbly and beautifully browned.

Croque Monsieur and Madame

My choice was the Croque Monsieur which I served with a simple salad.

Croque Monsieur and Madame

The Master Taste Tester opted for the Croque Madame with a fried egg on top.

The combination of the perfectly cooked fried egg and the gooey melted cheese on the Croque Madame was a match made in heaven. Yum!

Croque Monsieur and Madame

Croque Monsieur and Madame

Perfect Croque Monsieur and Madame

The perfect Croque Monsieur or Croque Madame is a simple creation. However, if you try to order one in an American restaurant, you’ll likely receive quizzical look. Not so if you ordered a grilled cheese sandwich. Croque Monsieur, literally translated as “crunch sir” is somewhat of a French grilled cheese sandwich. However, it is so much more. Add a fried egg on top and you have a Croque Madame! 
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Brunch, Main Course, Mother's Day
Cuisine: French
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 510kcal
Author: Chula King

Ingredients

Béchamel Sauce

  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 1 cup milk heated
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
  • Pinch of nutmeg

Croques

  • 4 thin slices of white bread
  • 8 ounces thinly sliced ham
  • 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
  • Fried eggs for Croque Madame

Instructions

  • Béchamel Sauce: Melt butter in small saucepan. Whisk in flour. Allow to cook for about a minute, ensuring that the flour does not brown.
  • Slowly whisk in hot milk. Whisk constantly until thickened. Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Set aside.
  • Croques: Preheat oven to 375° F.
  • Lightly toast bread.
  • Place half of ham on one slice of toasted bread.
  • Spread 1-1/2 to 2 Tablespoons of Béchamel Sauce on ham. Top with half of Gruyère cheese.
  • Repeat with remaining slices of toasted bread.
  • Bake at 375° F for 15 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and ingredients are heated through.
  • Increase oven temperature to broil. Broil for several minutes until top is golden brown.
  • For Croque Madame, top with fried egg.
  • Yield: 4 servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 510kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 105mg | Sodium: 1071mg | Potassium: 313mg | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 720IU | Calcium: 565mg | Iron: 1.7mg
Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment below and/or give this recipe a rating. On Instagram? Take a picture and tag @pudgefactor or #pudgefactor.

Related

Filed Under: Breads, Eggs and Cheese, International, Mother's Day, Sandwiches

Previous Post: « Kir Royale
Next Post: Cranberry White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. asouthernersnotebook says

    May 2, 2017 at 11:01 am

    This looks insanely delicious and I am making it very soon. Were you ever at Poulaine bakery in Paris? They over night their signature bread and it is amazing, I’ve done it before. If you have Ina Garten’s Paris book she gives you the info you need to do this. Their bread makes the best Croque Monsieur. Will be making this soon, thanks for reminding me just how delicious they are.

    Carolyn

  2. c2king says

    May 2, 2017 at 5:55 pm

    We went to Poulaine, but didn’t buy anything! I wish I had because I’ve heard that it’s incredible bread. I hadn’t realized that you could have their bread shipped here. I’m going to have to try that. I do have Ina Garten’s Paris cookbook (along with most of her other cookbooks!) Hope you enjoy the Croque Monsieur!

  3. Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen says

    May 7, 2017 at 8:30 pm

    I love a good egg sandwich, and this sandwich takes it to the next level. YUM!

  4. c2king says

    May 7, 2017 at 8:41 pm

    Thanks! It’s absolutely delicious.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Welcome to Pudge Factor®!

I'm Chula King, the food blogger, award-winning photographer, and videographer behind Pudge Factor. Pudge Factor features amazing and well-tested recipes from my every day cooking. These recipes run the gamut from simple to sophisticated and everything in between. I not only present awesome recipes with tips and tricks that I've learned through the years, but also process photos from start to finish. For some of the recipes, I include videos detailing the actual making of the dish. Read More…

Sites Featured In

Subscribe to Pudge Factor By Entering Your Email Address

Categories

Amazing Treats and Dishes for Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras Praline Crunch

Pancake Day Pancakes

Pancake Day Pancakes

Shrimp Étouffée

Shrimp Étouffée (with Video)

Cajun Corn Maque Choux

Cajun Corn Maque Choux

Mardi Gras King Cake (Bread Machine)

New Orleans Po 'Boy Rolls

New Orleans Po ‘Boy Rolls (Bread Machine)

More Posts from this Category

Most Popular Posts

Make Your Own Espresso Powder
Poffertjes (Dutch Mini Pancakes)
Tate's Bake Shop Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sausage & Cheese Crescent Ring (With Video)
Homemade Hamburger Buns (Bread Machine)
Chicken Schnitzel with Mustard Cream Sauce

Footer

© 2012–2021 · Pudge Factor®, LLC · Privacy Policy · Disclaimer