The Croque Monsieur and Madame are now termed “street food,” but these delicious French recipes emerged well before the term “street food” became fashionable.
Let’s talk about the croque monsieur, widely popular not just as street food but also in French eateries, where it’s available at all hours.
The first traces of the croque monsieur in culinary history appear in the early 20th century: it was mentioned in 1919 by Marcel Proust in the work «In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower».
Its name comes from the verb “croquer” meaning to bite and the word “monsieur.”
It probably originated from a casual event that became part of its history: some workers, placing their sandwiches on the radiator, found them with a crispy crust and melted cheese inside.
A legend instead tells that it was Michel Lunarca, owner of the bistrot on boulevard des Capucines, in Paris, who invented it to counter absurd accusations of cannibalism.
The croque monsieur is a sort of toast with melted cheese.
Generally, emmental, gruyere, or comté is used, with a ham filling.
The bread can be of two types: sliced with a sweet aftertaste, like the French pain de mie, or more traditional sliced bread made from durum wheat and extra virgin olive oil.
These are also the ingredients of the “feminine” version of the toast, the croque madame, named for the resemblance between the shape of the women’s hats that were fashionable at the time and the fried egg placed on the top layer, which makes it different from the “masculine” version.
Although some believe it is instead an homage to the writer Madame de Stael, a Swiss writer.
But what are the differences?
– Cooking method, croque monsieur is baked, croque madame is made in a pan;
– The egg, present only in the croque madame;
– The béchamel, only in the croque monsieur – added over the years, as it was not originally included.
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people – 4 sandwiches
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: French
Croque Monsieur
- 8 slices sandwich bread
- 4 slices cooked ham
- 7 oz French emmental (or gruyere or edam)
- 1 cup béchamel sauce
- 8 slices sandwich bread
- 4 eggs
- 4 slices cooked ham
- 3.5 oz French emmental (or gruyere)
- 3 oz butter
Preparation
Croque Monsieur
Finely grate the emmental so that it melts better during baking.
Take a baking tray and place 8 slices of bread on it, then sprinkle with cheese.
Lay a slice of ham on 4 slices of bread and then add the emmental.
Place in a preheated oven at 350°F and bake for about 10 minutes (without closing the two slices of bread) or until the cheese has melted.
Remove from the oven and close the slices of bread, pour béchamel sauce over them (already prepared, or you can make it yourself, the recipe is HERE), add more grated cheese, and put back in the oven, grill mode, for another 10 minutes.
Serve hot, crunchy, and with well-melted cheese.
Croque Madame
Melt the butter in a small saucepan and brush the slices of bread. Place a slice of ham and cheese on top. Close with the other slice of bread and brush again with butter.
Add the remaining butter to a large pan and toast the sandwiches, browning them on both sides. Once they have taken on color, complete the sandwich with a sunny-side-up or fried egg, which you have cooked separately in a pan with butter.
The variations…
There are many variations of the two French toasts, as is often the case in cooking, the original recipe has undergone changes depending on the location.
There’s the “provencal” with tomato, “norwegian” with salmon, “gagnet” with Gouda cheese and andouille sausage, or the “tartiflette” with potatoes and cheese.
Croque Madmoiselle, the vegetarian version of the Croque Monsieur: in this case, instead of ham, seasonal vegetables are used, particularly zucchini or eggplant.
Croque Hawaiian, with slices of pineapple inside.
Croque-auvergnat, stuffed with Blue d’Auvergne cheese or even the Croque “McDo”, a registered trademark sandwich sold at French McDonald’s.
Croque-auvergnat, stuffed with Blue d’Auvergne cheese or even the Croque “McDo”, a registered trademark sandwich sold at French McDonald’s.
