Béchamel Lesson #1: The Croques

Croque Madame

Now that we’ve already discussed the way to make a proper Béchamel, it’s time to move on to actual dishes. We’ll start with the Croque Monsieur and Madame, open-faced hot ham and cheese sandwiches helped along with a nice layer of béchamel and, in the case of the Madame, a sunny side egg; masterpieces of simple French fare and the kind of dish that, when made with good ingredients, rival any number of far more complicated preparations.

Seattle is not without Croque-serving restaurants--Café Presse has a nice one for $6 ($7.25 for the Madame), as does Bastille in Ballard, albeit for an alarming $9 ($11 for the Madame). If you are new to the Croque, these versions are worth trying. However, if you are truly interested in a superb Croque, you must be prepared to make it at home. Besides, except for the béchamel, making a Croque is not so much cooking as assembling.

Most important are your ingredients. First, make a well-seasoned Béchamel. For the bread, the traditional choice is thick-cut square white sandwich bread (in France, Pain de Mie), but I like a something a little more substantial, something like Grand Central’s Como bread or Essential’s Columbia loaf. Cut one 3/4” slice for each sandwich.

The Ham in a Croque is traditionally an unsmoked Parisian Ham, but really you should use whatever ham you happen to like. My favorite is Zoe’s Meats Applewood Smoked Ham--you can buy it at Delaurenti for a small fortune. Budget a few slices of ham per sandwich.

Now! I’ve been flexible up to this point, but as for the Cheese, there is absolutely no room for interpretation. It needs to be Gruyère, Swiss Gruyère or Gruyère de Comté (essentially the same cheese, but made in France). Do not buy domestic Swiss cheese. Do not buy Jarlesburg. Only buy real Gruyère. (That being said, a hot ham and cheese sandwich with sharp Cheddar is a glorious thing, it’s just not a Croque.)

Grate enough cheese to amply cover the top of each of your sandwiches. If you are going to make a Croque Madame, and I highly recommend that you do*, the eggs are your own affair, but it should be noted that the beautiful orange yolk of a sunny-side-up farm egg really ups the sexiness here.

To assemble your sandwiches, spread a thick layer of béchamel on each slice of bread; you can also add a thin layer of dijon mustard if you’re so inclined. Layer on your ham, followed by the grated cheese. Broil the sandwiches until the cheese is melted and bubbling and starting to brown. If you’re making a Croque Madame, fry the egg while you broil. Eat with knife and fork while still piping hot. And if you want to be really civilized, pour yourself a nice glass of white wine.

*I don’t believe I’ve ever actually had a Croque Monsieur as there has never been an occasion when I didn’t want a sunny-side-up egg.