I picked up some Gruyere cheese the other day, so naturally the first thing I thought of was a Croque-Monsieur! And since this was going to be our dinner, I added a fried egg, which then made it a Croque-Madame - A little heartier version. HOW TO MAKE A CROQUE-MONSIEUR
It's so simple - basically take white bread, add a dollup of mustard.....
I also like to add some Béchamel sauce inside - I swirl it around with the mustard. If you didn't have Bechamel you could probably use a little real mayonnaise and it wouldn't hurt anything. Or, just use mustard only. Your choice.
Add a slice or 2 of thin sliced ham. It's not traditional to pile up a big stack of ham. Just a thin layer is all you need. On top of the ham, add a thin slice of Gruyere or some shredded Gruyere, and top with the other piece of bread.
Now, you can do this 2 ways. Assemble the sandwich and cook it in the oven, turning as it browns, but I just find it so much easier to grill it in a pan with a little butter, and then finish under the broiler.
Once browned, I remove it from the pan and spread on a little more Bechamel.
Then a good amount of shredded Gruyere.
Finish under the broiler until cheese is bubbly and brown.
For a Croque-Madame, follow the steps above, then add a fried egg on top.
Because it was dinner, I served it with a salad dressed with olive oil and lemon, and made some tomato soup.
