Ham and Cheese Croque With Dijon
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
- 6slices sourdough bread
- 2tablespoons softened unsalted butter
- Dijon mustard
- 6ounces/2 cups grated Emmenthal, Gouda or Monterey Jack cheese or a mixture
- 6slices prosciutto or cooked ham
- ½cup thick béchamel sauce (See Note)
- Pinch of chopped thyme, for garnish
- 1tablespoon snipped chives, for garnish
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
568 calories; 19 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 74 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 27 grams protein; 1490 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 400. Lay bread slices on a work surface. Lightly butter 3 slices and place butter-side-down on a baking sheet. Now spread them lightly with mustard.
- Step 2
Distribute half the cheese over the mustard. Top each of the slices of cheese-covered bread with 2 slices prosciutto and cover each evenly with more grated cheese, reserving ¼ cup cheese for final topping.
- Step 3
Lay on the remaining 3 bread slices and press down gently. Spread each top slice with about 3 tablespoons béchamel. Sprinkle with reserved cheese.
- Step 4
Bake until browned and bubbling on top, about 10 minutes. To serve, cut each sandwich in half diagonally or vertically to make 6 small sandwiches. Sprinkle with thyme and chives. Cut off crusts if desired. May also be cut into bite-size pieces.
- To make béchamel, combine 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon flour in a saucepan over medium heat, then slowly add 1 cup milk or half-and-half, whisking thoroughly to prevent lumps. Cook 5 minutes until thickened and smooth. Season with salt, pepper and a little nutmeg. Let cool.
Private Notes
Comments
On our last visit to Paris, we fell in love with this dish for brunch. It's a bit of a pain to make in a skillet. More often than not my 'Croques' fell apart leaving a splendid mess. My manual dexterity isn't what it used to be. This recipe simplifies it for me. I'm looking forward to making this (for 2) in my toaster oven for X-Mas brunch. Once again, thank you, David Tanis.
I have made this with both prosciutto and maple glazed sliced ham, with either dijon or golden mustards, Jarlsburg cheese as well as Emmenthal, and also with creme fraise instead of bechamel as I have celiac's, and each time it has come out fantastic. It takes longer than 10 minutes for it to turn brown in the oven though. With a light salad and a glass of dry white wine this make a wonderful light meal.
These were Christmas Eve dinner plus thick clam chowder. These sannies are wonderful-made extra creamy with the bechamel. I toasted the underside of the bottom slices of bread by turning burners on under the baking sheet before going in the oven. A keeper.
I am giving this recipe 4 stars instead of five, because of my tweaks. More is not necessarily better when it comes to Proscuitto. Since I was using this for dinner, I thought I would use more, so each sandwich had several slices of this salty delight. Then I decided to use Gruyere for the cheese. The result was a sandwhich almost too salty to eat. The good news is the technique can be used with any cheese/meat combo you want. The crunchiness of the bottom piece of bread was awesome!
I’ve made this with both prosciutto and uncured smoked ham, Emmenthal, Gouda and plain old Swiss. It’s hard to make this anything but delicious. However, I do think the sourdough and the finishing herbs should not be tampered with.
This was very easy and satisfying. Pickled jalapeño made it complete.