Croque monsieur

A croque monsieur is a hot sandwich made with ham and cheese. The name comes from the French words croque ("crunch") and monsieur ("gentleman").

History
There are references to the dish before the end of the 19th century. In 1891, La Revue Athlétique mentions them: "It is late and we are very hungry. What should we do for lunch? Ham becomes monotonous in the long run. The Diplomat, who is a bit of a gourmand, and in this he resembles Talleyrand, has an idea. 'Let's make croque-monsieurs'. Quickly, the toast, the butter, the Gruyère cheese, the ham, a little cayenne pepper and we are at work. One cuts, another butters, the third puts it all together into sandwiches that Vincent fries in the pan. They are exquisite, the croque-monsieurs, a little big perhaps, made for the jaws of giants, but who cares? We eat them, we come back to them, we are delighted."

In the early 1900s, bistro owner Michel Lunarca popularized the croque-monsieur.

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.

Variations
A croque monsieur served with a poached or lightly fried egg on top is known as a croque madame (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.

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.

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