Croque-monsieur Montréal Style
Creamy, cheesy and smoky, this Croque-monsieur Montréal Style sandwich is delicious! It's quick & easy to make plus it's packed with flavor!
Ingredients
BÉCHAMEL SAUCE
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 2 tbsp. unbleached all-purpose flour
- 8 tbsp. cold milk, or as needed
- 1 pinch ground Himalayan pink salt
SANDWICHES
- 2 cups Gruyère cheese (substitute Comté, Emmental or Swiss cheese), grated and divided
- 3 tbsp. milk
- 1/16 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg, or to taste
- 1 small pinch ground Himalayan pink salt
- 1/16 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste (I always use mixed peppercorns)
- 8 slices bread such as Artisan see Recipe
- 8 large thin slices Black Forest ham
- 8 large thin slices Montréal Smoked Meat
Directions
BÉCHAMEL SAUCE
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, add butter. When melted, add flour and whisk for a few minutes to cook out the raw taste.
- Add 2 tbsp. cold milk, and whisk constantly until the mixture gets thick.
- Continue adding 1 tbsp. cold milk at a time, whisking between each addition, until the consistency of the sauce gets creamy but not too thin so it's spreadable.
- Transfer the sauce to a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap making sure it touches the surface to prevent skin formation. Let it cool before transferring it to the refrigerator; chill for at least 20 minutes.
SANDWICHES
- Preheat oven to 375ºF .
- Line a baking sheet with foil; set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine grated Gruyère, milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper; stir and set aside.
- Spread a thin layer of cold béchamel on each slice of bread, keeping some to spread on 4 slices later.
- Place two slices of smoked meat on 4 slices of bread before adding ½ the cheese mixture. Place ham on top of the cheese mixture before adding the top slice.
- Press down and spread the remaining béchamel sauce on top of those 4 slices. Add the remaining cheese and place the sandwiches on the prepared baking sheet.
- Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes.
- Turn on the broiler and leave them there until the cheese is golden brown, about 3 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, slice and serve immediately.