French · Lunch & handhelds

Croque monsieur

Name: Croque monsieur
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 sandwiches
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided; 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 1 1/2 cups whole milk, warmed; 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard; 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/4 teaspoon white or black pepper; 8 slices pain de mie or soft white country bread; 8 ounces jambon de Paris or thin unsmoked cooked ham; 12 ounces Gruyère, finely grated, divided

A Parisian ham-and-Gruyère sandwich layered with Dijon béchamel, toasted through, then broiled until its cheese cap bubbles and bronzes.

About 45 minTotal

About 40 minActive

$$Cost

ModerateDifficulty

Makes 4 sandwiches

Equipment

Long cooking chopsticks or a fork can beat the eggs without adding much air.
Best all-purpose
OXO Good Grips 11-inch Balloon Whisk
View at Amazon
Best small-bowl control
Kuhn Rikon 10-inch French Wire Whisk
View at Kuhn Rikon
Another workable path: Long cooking chopsticks or a fork can beat the eggs without adding much air.
Paid links. As an Amazon Associate, Kwilt earns from qualifying purchases.
How we chose
Research-backed · reviewed Aug 2026
We compared whisk shape, balance, handle comfort, wire stiffness, small-bowl control, cleaning, and exact product identity. Independent hands-on testing established the practical differences; manufacturer details supplied dimensions and care. Kwilt has not used these whisks.
OXO Good Grips 11-inch Balloon Whisk: The comfortable nonslip handle and flexible wires make it easy to beat eggs evenly without fighting the tool. Trade-off: Its broad balloon is less precise in narrow vessels, and the soft handle should not rest against hot cookware.
Kuhn Rikon 10-inch French Wire Whisk: The compact French shape keeps the wires engaged with a medium batch of eggs and reaches closer to the bowl's sides. Trade-off: Independent testing found it noticeably heavier and less comfortable during long whisking sessions than the OXO.
Another workable path: A pair of long cooking chopsticks can beat these eggs with less aeration. A fork works in a pinch, though it takes longer to blend the whites evenly.
Sources
Epicurious whisk testing
TechGearLab hands-on comparison
Kuhn Rikon product details

Ingredients

1× recipe · Makes 4 sandwiches

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk, warmed
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon white or black pepper
8 slices pain de mie or soft white country bread
8 ounces jambon de Paris or thin unsmoked cooked ham
12 ounces Gruyère, finely grated, divided

Instructions

Melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium-low. and cook until biscuit-scented but not browned, 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in warm milk; simmer until thick and smooth, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in Dijon, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and 1 cup Gruyère.
Lightly butter one side of each bread slice with remaining butter and toast butter-side down on a griddle until pale gold. Arrange four slices toasted-side down on a rack over a sheet pan.
Spread each with a thin layer of béchamel, then add ham and half the remaining Gruyère. Close with the other bread slices, toasted-side up, and spread béchamel edge to edge over the tops.
Top with remaining Gruyère. Bake at 425°F until hot through, 6 to 8 minutes, then broil until deeply bubbling and browned in spots, 1 to 2 minutes. Rest 3 minutes before serving.

Paris, FranceFrench café and boulangerie cooking

From the table

About this recipe

Croque monsieur is a French café sandwich of cooked ham and melting Alpine-style cheese on pain de mie; béchamel is a rich brasserie variation rather than a universal requirement.

Croque monsieur is a French café sandwich of cooked ham and melting Alpine-style cheese on pain de mie. Béchamel is a rich brasserie variation rather than universal law; here it is intentionally thin inside and on top so the bread still “croques” instead of becoming casserole-soft. This Kwilt version follows the reviewed household adaptation: Use the luxurious béchamel-topped brasserie form but control sauce thickness and pre-toast the bread to preserve the sandwich’s defining crunch.

Sources

Dinner does not stop at the recipe