International dishesSavory CakesFrance10 to 15 minutes baking
A croque monsieur is a toasted sandwich eaten with a knife and fork: ham and cheese inside, bechamel spread over the top, more cheese scattered on and the whole thing baked until deep gold. The bite is crisp on top, soft inside and stringy with melted cheese.
The bechamel is the hardest part, since lumps in it show up on the finished surface. The roux needs to be whisked completely smooth before any oat milk goes in, and then added slowly. Choose bread of a medium thickness, as thin slices soak up the sauce and go limp in the oven.
This batch weighs about 522g, at roughly 218 calories per 100g.
Method
Set out 4 slices of sandwich bread and 2 slices of ham weighing about 60g, and grate 100g Gruyere or Emmental cheese.
Make the bechamel: melt 20g butter in a pan over low heat, add 20g all purpose flour and whisk until the mixture is smooth and free of lumps.
Pour in 200ml oat milk slowly, whisking constantly so nothing catches on the base, and cook over low heat until the sauce thickens.
Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, stir through and take the pan off the heat.
Spread a thin layer of butter on one side of all 4 slices of bread, using 20g in total.
Lay the 2 slices of ham on 2 slices of bread, on the unbuttered side, and scatter half the grated cheese over them.
Close the sandwiches with the remaining slices, buttered side up.
Spread the bechamel over the top of the sandwiches and scatter on the rest of the cheese.
Bake in an oven preheated to 200 degrees C for 10 to 15 minutes until the cheese has melted and the top is golden and crisp.
Let the sandwiches stand for a few minutes, cut each one in two and serve warm.
Tips
Gruyere and Emmental are expensive and hard to find in Vietnam, and grated mozzarella or cheddar work in their place with a milder flavor.
Bread of medium thickness holds its crispness through baking.
Warming the oat milk before it goes into the roux thickens the sauce faster and with fewer lumps.
Oat milk carries a light sweetness, so taste the sauce again after the salt and pepper before spreading it.
The sauce on top should be on the thick side, as a thin one runs off onto the tray in the oven.
Two minutes under the top element at the end browns the surface evenly without drying the middle.
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