Chef Series: Manon Lagréve’s Parisian Croque Monsieur
The Paris Olympics are here, and we’re ready to embrace all things French. While the athletes might be on strict dietary regimes, we viewers are free to indulge in French cuisine to our heart’s content. For this Parisian-themed recipe, we’ve gone classic; a croque monsieur from former Great British Bake Off contestant and French native Manon Lagréve.
Since competing on the iconic show in 2018, Manon has continued her baking journey with great success, cultivating a huge following across Instagram, and TikTok, culminating in publishing her cookbook Chez Manon. The croque monsieur, a hot sandwich typically filled with ham and cheese, originated in Paris in the late 19th century, becoming popularised by bistro owner Michel Lunaca in the early 1900s. For a meal while watching the games, there are few better.
Croque Monsieur
SERVES: 4
PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES
COOK TIME: 15 MINUTES
Ingredients
1 large sourdough loaf, thinly sliced
100g Boursin® Truffle
100g salted butter, softened
200g champignon de Paris mushrooms, thinly sliced
4 slices of Serrano ham (of parma ham)
Ground pepper
For the sauce topping
20g butter
20g plain flour, sieved
250ml milk
1tsp of Dijon mustard (optional)
50g Truffle Boursin
Mixed leaves to serve
For the vinaigrette (to make a jar)
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp salt + 1 tbsp pepper
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
5 tbsp virgin vegetable oil
4 tbsp olive oil
Method
1. In a large pan, cook the mushrooms for 5 mins until softened and set aside.
2. To make one croque monsieur, take two thin slices of bread, and butter each side. Add 1/4 of the Boursin (you can use a fork and a bowl to soften it before spreading) on top of both slices, top one slice with 1/4 of the mushrooms, a slice of serrano ham and close the croque monsieur with the other buttered slice.
3. Bring the same pan to medium to high heat and place the croque in the middle. Cook for 3 min on each side or until golden, using a spatula to push it down and cook thoroughly.
4. Slice in two (or in 4 or 6 if served as bites).
5. To make the sauce topping, heat the milk in a small pan. Meanwhile, melt the butter in another pan and stir in the flour until cooked through and paste-like in consistency. Gradually add the warm milk to the paste a little at a time whisking continuously.
6. Once you have a thick sauce remove from the heat and stir in 50g of the Boursin® and the mustard if using.
7. Spread the sauce over the top of the croque monsieur, crumble over some of the remaining Boursin® and grill until bubbling and golden. Serve with the salad and vinaigrette.