Croque monsieur

 ( French Sandwiches ) 

A croque monsieur (, croque = "crunch", monsieur = "mister, gentleman") is a hot sandwich made with ham and cheese.

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History There are references to the dish before the end of the 19th century. In 1891, La Revue Athlétique mentions them:

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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 also add béchamel sauce.

Croque monsieur may be baked or fried so that the cheese topping melts and forms a crust.

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

(1993). 203320300X, Larousse. 203320300X

(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 .

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

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

File:Croque Madame, Paris July 6, 2011.jpg|A croque madame File:Croque provencal.jpg|A croque provençal File:Croquegagnet.jpg|A croque gagnet File:Francesinha especial.JPG|Portuguese version from Porto, called "Francesinha"

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See also

• Welsh rarebit
• Ham and cheese sandwich
• Ham and egg bun
• Monte Cristo sandwich
• Francesinha
• Strammer Max
• Pie iron
• List of ham dishes
• List of sandwiches

Categories: French Sandwiches, Ham Sandwiches, Cheese Sandwiches

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