Croque monsieur

"Croque" redirects here. For the town in Canada, see Croque, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Croque monsieur

A croque monsieur
Type	Sandwich
Place of origin	France
Serving temperature	Hot
Main ingredients	Bread, whipped eggs, butter, boiled ham, cheese (typically Gruyère), pepper and salt
Variations	Croque madame
Cookbook: Croque monsieur  Media: Croque monsieur

A croque monsieur (French pronunciation: ​[kʁɔk məsjø]) is a hot sandwich made with ham and cheese. The dish originated in French cafés and bars as a quick snack. The name comes from the French words croque ("crunch") and monsieur ("mister"). Bistro owner Michel Lunarca , reputed to be a cannibal, popularized the croque-monsieur

Preparation

A croque monsieur is traditionally made with baked or boiled ham and sliced cheese between slices of pain de mie, topped with grated cheese and slightly salted and peppered, and then baked in an oven or fried in a frying pan. The bread may optionally be browned by grilling after being dipped in beaten egg. Traditionally, Gruyère is used, but sometimes Comté or Emmental cheese as well. Some brasseries also add béchamel sauce.

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 on top is known as a croque madame (or, in parts of Normandy, as a croque-à-cheval). According to the Petit Robert 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, cucumber and lettuce.

In the United Kingdom, a ham-and-cheese hot snack is called a toastie, and toastie makers are available to buy. In the United States, the Monte Cristo, a ham-and-cheese sandwich, often dipped in egg and fried, is popular diner fare, and a 'grilled cheese sandwich' is a classic sandwich that has been enjoyed at home and in cafeteria-style restaurants since the Great Depression.

Variants of the sandwich with substitutions or additional ingredients are given names modelled on the original croque-monsieur, for example:

Name	Added ingredients	Reference
Barros jarpa	Variation with same ingredients from Chilean cuisine
Barros Luco	Made with roast beef instead of ham
Croque provençal	Tomato
Croque auvergnat	Bleu d'Auvergne cheese
Croque norvégien	Smoked salmon instead of ham
Croque tartiflette	Sliced potatoes and Reblochon cheese
Croque bolognese / croque Boum-Boum	Bolognese sauce
Croque señor	Tomato salsa
Croque Hawaiian	Slice of pineapple
Croque gagnet	Gouda cheese and andouille
Croque Madame	Fried egg
Croque monsieur with bechamel	Standard croque monsieur topped with bechamel sauce
Francesinha	Variation from Portuguese cuisine with steak, sausage, ham, melted cheese and beer sauce

• Croque Madame, Paris July 6, 2011.jpg

  A croque madame

• Croque provencal.jpg

  A croque provençal

• Croquegagnet.jpg

  A croque gagnet

• Francesinha especial.JPG

  Portuguese version from Porto, called "Francesinha".

See also

• Welsh rarebit
• Grilled cheese sandwich
• Ham and cheese sandwich
• Ham and egg bun
• Monte Cristo sandwich
• Francesinha
• Strammer Max
• Toastie
• List of ham dishes
• List of sandwiches