Rick Stein's croque monsieur - YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Sign in Welcome!Log into your account Forgot your password? Password recovery Recover your password Search Sign in Welcome! Log into your account Forgot your password? Get help Password recovery Recover your password A password will be e-mailed to you. YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Home Food Rick Stein’ s croque monsieur By You Magazine - November 3, 2019 The type of cheese and ham toastie served up in motorway service stations as a croque monsieur I would simply class as a stomach filler. This, on the other hand, is a pleasure – from the crisp toast to the hint of bay leaf and nutmeg in the béchamel, and the Gruyère cheese and good ham inside. James Murphy SERVES 2 10g butter, softened for spreading 4 slices sourdough bread 1-2 tsp Dijon mustard 85g Gruyère or Comté cheese, grated 2 thick slices good-quality ham (about 50g each) a few rasps freshly grated nutmeg BECHAMEL 25g butter 25g plain flour 270ml whole milk 1 bay leaf a few rasps freshly grated nutmeg salt and black pepper 1. For the béchamel, melt the 25g of butter in a pan, then add the flour and stir for a couple of minutes. Take the pan off the heat and gradually whisk in the milk, beating after each addition to avoid lumps. Add the bay leaf, put the pan back on the heat and bring to the boil, then cook, stirring all the time, until thickened. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper, then set aside. 2. Preheat the grill to a high setting. Butter the bread slices on one side and place them buttered-side up under the grill until golden. Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan. 3. Spread the untoasted sides of the bread with Dijon mustard. 4. Spread 2 of the slices with some of the béchamel, then add a quarter of the grated cheese and a slice of ham to each one. Top with the remaining slices of toast, toasted side up, and spread with the remaining béchamel sauce. Sprinkle over the rest of the cheese and season with nutmeg and black pepper. 5. Transfer the sandwiches to a baking sheet and bake them for 10-12 minutes until golden and bubbling. Eat at once! Get Rick’ s book with 20 per cent off Rick Stein’s Secret France by Rick Stein will be published on Thursday 31 October by BBC Books, price £26. To pre-order a copy with free p&p for £20.80 until 10 November, visit mailshop.co.uk or call 01603 648155. RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR Kids can eat for free at these restaurants during October half-term How to make the viral negroni sbagliato with prosecco at home 7 Halloween recipes with serious hex factor Popular in Food Gabriela Peacock 14-day plan Anytime baked eggs May 23, 2021 Joe Wicks’ maple-glazed chicken thighs with Asian slaw June 6, 2021 Mary Berry is returning to TV screens for a brand new June 15, 2021 Eleanor Maidment My summer taste notes July 4, 2021 Uyen Luu’ s sticky mustard marmalade ribs July 25, 2021 Annie Bell’ s white peach bellinis recipe August 8, 2021 M& S has launched a new crunchy Caramilk-inspired golden chocolate spread August 24, 2021 Deliciously preserved pickle and jam recipes September 19, 2021 Gordon Ramsay’ s bang bang cauliflower October 3, 2021 Wow right now Clodagh McKenna’ s speedy family dinners October 24, 2021 Popular CategoriesFood2704Life2496Fashion2240Beauty1738Celebrity1261Interiors684 Sign up for YOUMail Thanks for subscribing Please check your email to confirm (If you don't see the email, check the spam box) Fashion Beauty Celebrity Life Food Privacy & Cookies T&C Copyright 2022 - YOU Magazine. All Rights Reserved