Croque-Monsieur Sandwich
This French riff on a grilled cheese is made even easier by swapping in cool crème fraîche for béchamel sauce.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons crème fraîche such as Bellwether Farms'
- 4 slices white bread
- 3 ounces Gruyère or Comté or a combination of the two, grated, plus more for topping*
- 4 slices ham
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F.
- Spread 1 tablespoon of crème fraîche on each slice of bread. Top 2 slices with half the cheese, ham, the remaining cheese, and the remaining bread. Sprinkle some extra grated cheese over the top of the closed sandwiches.
- Place sandwiches on a rack on a baking sheet. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, until the bread begins to crisp and the cheese begins to melt, watching closely. Broil for an additional minute or 2 to brown the cheese. Serve immediately.
Notes
* If you want to derivate from the traditional cheese for this recipe, here are some suggestions for alternate cheeses, all pulled from the 75 award-winning cheeses described within our Best Cheeses 2014 issue.
- Fromagerie du Presbytère Louis d’Or
- Fromagerie F. X. Pichet Baluchon
- Bleating Heart Cheese Fat Bottom Girl
- Hidden Springs Creamery Meadow Melody Grande
Rebecca Haley-Park
Rebecca Haley-Park is culture's former editor and resident stinky cheese cheerleader. A native New Englander, she holds a BFA in creative writing from University of Maine at Farmington.
Photographer Dominic Perri
Dominic Perri is a passionate food photographer splitting his time between Massachusetts and New York City. He has been professionally photographing food for almost 10 years. See more of his work at http://www.dominicperri.com/
