Croque-Monsieur and Croque-Madame

The croque-monsieur is the defining sandwich of the Parisian café and the most important hot sandwich in French gastronomy — a grilled ham-and-cheese sandwich elevated to a dish of genuine technique by the addition of béchamel sauce and the specific method of construction that distinguishes the French croque from every other grilled cheese in the world. The croque-monsieur first appeared on Parisian café menus around 1910 (first recorded at a café on the Boulevard des Capucines). The classic construction: two slices of pain de mie (white sandwich bread, crusts removed), the bottom slice spread with a thin layer of béchamel (made with butter, flour, milk, nutmeg, and a handful of grated Gruyère stirred in to make a Mornay), topped with a slice of jambon de Paris (jambon blanc — the mild, square-cut, pale-pink cooked ham specific to this preparation), the top slice placed on, then the entire exterior of the sandwich — top and sides — spread with more Mornay sauce and covered with grated Gruyère. Baked at 220°C or placed under a salamander until the cheese is bubbling, golden, and lightly charred in spots (8-10 minutes). The croque-madame is identical except for the addition of a fried egg (œuf à cheval) placed on top — the runny yolk becoming an additional sauce when broken. The names: 'monsieur' because the sandwich was considered a man's café snack; 'madame' because the egg on top supposedly resembled a woman's hat. The béchamel is non-negotiable — a croque without béchamel is just a grilled cheese. The Mornay variant (béchamel + cheese) is the Parisian standard. The bread must be pain de mie (soft, white, enriched sandwich bread), not baguette or country bread. The ham must be jambon de Paris — neither smoked ham nor cured ham, but the delicate, mild, cooked ham that allows the cheese and béchamel to dominate.