Croque Monsieur

For a lunchtime where speed is of the essence, or perhaps when I am just feeling lazy, it’s difficult to beat the classic, and comforting, French sandwich – the Croque Monsieur.

Ingredients

• 2 tsp Dijon or similar smooth, mild French mustard
• 100g softened butter
• 4 slices of good white sandwich bread
• 100g Gruyere cheese – thinly sliced or grated
• 100g thinly sliced ham – the best you can afford
• A little olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Mix the mustard with half of the butter and lightly season with a little salt and a decent grind of black pepper. Spread this mix on one side of each slice of bread, then on two of the slices layer cheese then ham then cheese again and cover with the remaining slices, pressing each sandwich firmly together.

In a frypan, heat the butter and a little oil then slide in the sandwiches and cook until golden, about 1-2 minutes, then carefully turn and cook the other side. Lay on a paper towel for a moment the serve hot.

Makes 2 sandwiches.

If you fancy, this can be topped with a fried or poached egg to become a Croque Madam. I suppose it could be made in a toasted sandwich maker by spreading some of the cooking butter on the outside of the sandwiches but, like making it with Cheddar, it just wouldn’t be the same.