A French staple that can be a highly nutritious and delicious lunch for both adults and children. Try to use top quality ingredients to properly enjoy this special sandwich. What I love about this is that I can easily prepare it before we’re headed out with the little ones and take them with us in a glass tupperware. Deliciousness on the road! I am also showing you how to make a Croque Madame Fatal ;) easy and perfect for ladies in need of extra nutrients.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 slices of sourdough toast bread
• butter to smear bread
• Comté cheese slices
• 3 slices of pork ham (I like one without any additives, nor nitrites)
• 1 tbsp grainy French mustard
• 2 tbsp heavy cream or double cream
• 2 tbsp shredded Comté
• chives to decorate (optional)

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS FOR CROQUE MADAME

• butter to fry
• one egg

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat up the oven on upper warm at 180°C. Prepare a tray with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Butter up your slices of bread. On one slice of bread, add slices of Comté and then the ham, on the other slice of bread you have, spread the mustard on top of the butter. Close the sandwich and place it in the oven tray.
3. Now let’s make the cheesy outside layer that would crunch: in a little bowl add the heavy cream and shredded Comté, mix and pour over the top of the sandwich.
4. In the oven until the top has crunched up and you see it browning!

If you want to make the Croque Madame, simply fry an egg and place on top of your Croque Monsieur after you get it out of the oven!

Serve hot ideally. And no, béchamel is absolutely not a must in the Croque Monsieur and many times served without béchamel in France.