Croque monsieur

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A croque monsieur (Template:IPA, croque = "crunch",<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> monsieur = "mister, gentleman") is a hot sandwich made with ham and cheese.

History

There are references to the dish before the end of the 19th century. In 1891, Template:Lang mentions them: Template:Blockquote

Preparation

A croque monsieur is traditionally made with baked or boiled ham and sliced cheese between slices of pain de mie, topped with grated cheese and lightly salted and peppered, and then baked in an oven or fried in a frying pan. The bread may optionally be browned by grilling after being dipped in beaten egg. Traditionally Gruyère is used, but sometimes Comté or Emmental cheese as well. Some brasseries also add béchamel sauce.

Croque monsieur may be baked or fried so that the cheese topping melts and forms a crust.<ref name=aufeminin>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Variations

A croque monsieur served with a poached or lightly fried egg on top is known as a croque madame<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> (or, in parts of Normandy, as a croque-à-cheval). According to the Petit Robert dictionary, the name dates to around 1960. The name croque-mademoiselle is associated with its lighter, vegetarian version: made of the same bread, but with ordinary melting cheese, accompanied with chives, cucumber and lettuce.<ref name=aufeminin/>

In the United Kingdom, a ham-and-cheese hot snack is called a toastie, and toastie makers are available to buy. In the United States, the Monte Cristo (a ham-and-cheese sandwich often dipped in egg and fried) is popular fare in diners.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Variants of the sandwich with substitutions or additional ingredients are given names modeled on the original croque-monsieur, for example:

Name	Added ingredients	Template:Reference column heading
Barros Jarpa	Variation with same ingredients from Chilean cuisine	<ref name=sandwiches>Template:Cite book</ref>
Barros Luco	Made with roast beef instead of ham	<ref name=sandwiches/>
Croque provençal	Tomato	<ref name=autogenerated1>Template:Cite web</ref>
Croque auvergnat	Bleu d'Auvergne cheese	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Croque chevre	Topped with a large slice of goat cheese.
Croque norvégien	Smoked salmon instead of ham	<ref name=sandwiches/>
Croque tartiflette	Sliced potatoes and Reblochon cheese	<ref name=autogenerated1 />
Croque bolognese / Croque Boum-Boum	Bolognese sauce
Croque señor	Tomato salsa
Croque Hawaiian	Slice of pineapple
Croque gagnet	Gouda cheese and andouille	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Croque Madame	Fried egg	<ref name=sandwiches/>
Croque monsieur with bechamel	Standard croque monsieur topped with bechamel sauce	<ref name=sandwiches/>
Francesinha	Variation from Portuguese cuisine with steak, sausage, ham, melted cheese and a beer sauce	<ref name=sandwiches/>
Monte Cristo	French sandwich with varying other additions, incl. but not limited to powdered sugar and fried in either egg or batter.	<ref name=sandwiches/>