A croque monsieur (, ''croque'' = "crunch", ''monsieur'' = "mister, gentleman") is a hot

sandwich A sandwich is a Dish (food), dish typically consisting variously of meat, cheese, sauces, and vegetables used as a filling between slices of bread, or placed atop a slice of bread; or, more generally, any dish in which bread serves as a ''co ...

made with

ham Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term '' ...

and

cheese Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk (usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats or sheep). During prod ...

History

There are references to the dish before the end of the 19th century. In 1891, mentions them: In the early 1900s, bistro owner popularized the name croque-monsieur by satirically using it after being accused of having human meat in his pork sandwiches.

Preparation

A croque monsieur is traditionally made with baked or boiled ham and sliced cheese between slices of ''

pain de mie ''Pain de mie'' is a white or brown bread with a thin, soft crust. It is mostly sold sliced and packaged in France. is the French word for "bread", and is the soft part of bread, called the crumb in English. Description ''Pain de mie'' is m ...

'', topped with grated cheese and lightly salted and peppered, and then baked in an oven or fried in a

frying pan A frying pan, frypan, or skillet is a flat-bottomed pan used for frying, searing, and browning foods. It typically ranges from in diameter with relatively low sides that flare outwards, a long handle, and no lid. Larger pans may have a small ...

. The bread may optionally be browned by

grilling Grilling is a form of cooking that involves heat applied to the surface of food, commonly from above, below or from the side. Grilling usually involves a significant amount of direct, radiant heat, and tends to be used for cooking meat and v ...

after being dipped in beaten egg. Traditionally Gruyère is used, but sometimes Comté or

Emmental The Emmental (, ) is a valley in west-central Switzerland, forming part of the canton of Bern. It is a hilly landscape comprising the basins of the rivers Emme and Ilfis. The region is mostly devoted to farming, particularly dairy farming. The ...

cheese as well. Some

brasserie In France, Flanders, and the Francophone world, a brasserie () is a type of French restaurant with a relaxed setting, which serves dishes and other meals. The word ''brasserie'' is French for "brewery" and, by extension, "the brewing busine ...

s also add

béchamel sauce Béchamel sauce or Biratta cream (, ) is one of the mother sauces of French cuisine, made from a white roux (butter and flour) and milk, seasoned with ground nutmeg. Origin The first recipe of a sauce similar to béchamel is in the book by ...

. Croque monsieur may be baked or fried so that the cheese topping melts and forms a crust.

Variations

A croque monsieur served with a poached or lightly

fried egg A fried egg is a cooked dish made from one or more eggs which are removed from their shells and placed into a frying pan and cooked. They are traditionally eaten for breakfast or brunch in many countries but may also be served at other times o ...

on top is known as a ''croque madame'' (or, in parts of

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

, as a ''croque-à-cheval''). According to the ''

Petit Robert ''Le Petit Robert de la Langue Française'' (), known as just ''Petit Robert'', is a popular single-volume French dictionary first published by Paul Robert in 1967. It is an abridgement of his eight-volume ''Dictionnaire alphabétique et analo ...

'' dictionary, the name dates to around 1960. The name ''croque-mademoiselle'' is associated with its lighter, vegetarian version: made of the same bread, but with ordinary melting cheese, accompanied with

chives Chives, scientific name ''Allium schoenoprasum'', is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae. A perennial plant, ''A. schoenoprasum'' is widespread in nature across much of Eurasia and North America. It is the only spe ...

cucumber The cucumber (''Cucumis sativus'') is a widely-cultivated creeping vine plant in the family Cucurbitaceae that bears cylindrical to spherical fruits, which are used as culinary vegetables.lettuce Lettuce (''Lactuca sativa'') is an annual plant of the family Asteraceae mostly grown as a leaf vegetable. The leaves are most often used raw in Green salad, green salads, although lettuce is also seen in other kinds of food, such as sandwiche ...

. In the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, a ham-and-cheese hot snack is called a ''

toastie A pie iron, also called pudgy pie iron, sandwich toaster, snackwicher, toastie maker, sandwich maker, panini grill is a cooking appliance that consists of two hinged concave, round or square, cast iron or aluminium plates on long handles. It ...

'', and toastie makers are available to buy. In the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, the Monte Cristo (a ham-and-cheese sandwich often dipped in egg and fried) is popular fare in

diner A diner is a type of restaurant found across the United States and Canada, as well as parts of Western Europe and Australia. Diners offer a wide range of cuisine, mostly American cuisine, a casual atmosphere, and, characteristically, a comb ...

s. Variants of the sandwich with substitutions or additional ingredients are given names modeled on the original croque-monsieur, for example: File:Croque Madame, Paris July 6, 2011.jpg, A croque madame File:Croque provencal.jpg, A croque provençal File:Croquegagnet.jpg, A croque gagnet File:Francesinha especial.JPG, Portuguese version from

Porto Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...

, called "Francesinha"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Croque-Monsieur French sandwiches Ham sandwiches Cheese sandwiches

History

Preparation

Variations

See also

References