Croque Monsieur — The Sunday Brunch Sandwich Mama Was Home For

Cody is on day five hundred and forty-three of his sentence. Week three of the writing program was Wednesday. The author leading week three was a fiction writer named Gloria Tan, and her workshop was on dialogue. The exercise was a one-page conversation, no descriptive narration, just two characters talking. I wrote a conversation between Mama and me at the kitchen table about the chicken and rice bake. Marcus Wells, who sits in on each week’s session as the program coordinator, said the piece was the best dialogue he had read from anybody in the group. Iris squeezed my arm under the table.

And the recipe Sunday was croque monsieur because Mama was home for a Sunday morning for the first time in three weeks (a coworker covered her shift) and because I had been wanting to try the French ham-and-cheese-and-bechamel sandwich. The recipe is from A Family Feast. Two slices of bread, butter on both sides of both, layered with deli ham and Gruyere cheese, pan-toasted, then topped with a small amount of bechamel sauce and shredded Gruyere, broiled until the top is bubbling and golden.

The math: a small loaf of bakery sourdough $3.99, a quarter pound of deli ham $1.99, a small wedge of Gruyere $4.99 (the splurge), butter, flour, milk, mustard powder, salt, pepper. Total: about $11.95 for two sandwiches plus enough Gruyere for next week’s pasta.

The technique is the bechamel-on-top broil. Make a small bechamel: two tablespoons butter, two tablespoons flour, a cup of warm milk whisked in slowly, simmer to thicken, season with mustard powder and salt. Toast the buttered ham-and-cheese sandwiches in a skillet. Top each with a generous spoonful of bechamel and a sprinkle of additional Gruyere. Broil ninety seconds until the top is bubbling.

Mama said, eating, baby, this tastes like Paris, which she has not been to. Neither have I. The sandwich was the closest either of us has been.

The recipe is below. The trick is the bechamel-and-broil top — the sandwich is good without it but is a croque monsieur with it.

Croque Monsieur

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 4 slices thick-cut white sandwich bread or pain de mie
• 4 oz thinly sliced ham (such as Black Forest or déli ham)
• 3/4 cup shredded Gruyère cheese, divided
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more for spreading
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole milk, warmed
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional)

Instructions

1. Make the béchamel. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Whisk in the flour and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly, until the mixture smells slightly nutty. Slowly pour in the warm milk, whisking continuously until the sauce thickens, about 3—4 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup of the shredded Gruyère until melted and smooth.
2. Prep the bread. Preheat your broiler to high. Lightly butter one side of each bread slice. Place all four slices butter-side up on a baking sheet and broil 1—2 minutes until just golden. Watch closely — they turn fast.
3. Build the sandwiches. Flip two of the toasted slices over (untoasted side up). Spread a thin layer of Dijon mustard on each if using, then layer on the ham and a small handful of Gruyère. Top with the remaining two bread slices, toasted side down.
4. Top with béchamel. Spread the béchamel generously over the top of each sandwich, covering the bread all the way to the edges. Scatter the remaining Gruyère over the sauce.
5. Broil until golden. Return the sandwiches to the broiler and cook 3—5 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and deeply golden in spots. Let rest 2 minutes before cutting — the béchamel sets slightly as it cools and won’t slide off.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 520 | Protein: 28g | Fat: 27g | Carbs: 38g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 980mg