*Le Croque Monsieur*

Serves 4 to 8

These tasty little sandwiches might seem like a lot of faff, but let me tell you they are worth every second of time spend in preparation. Pop a few under the grill, put on your sunglasses and a bit of soft accordion music…then pretend you are in France…ahhh bliss….

2 TBS butter

3 TBS plain flour

2 cups hot milk

1 tsp salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Pinch freshly ground nutmeg (I always grind my own nutmeg…pre-ground nutmeg always loses it’s flavour so quickly)

12 ounces Gruyere Cheese, grated

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

15 square slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed

Dijon mustard

8 slices ham

Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Get out a large flat baking tray and lightly grease it. Set it aside.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat and stir in the flour all at once. Stir and cook with a wooden spoon for at least 2 minutes, then slowly pour in the milk, cooking and whisking with a whisk the whole time, until it is thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the salt, pepper, nutmeg and ½ cup of the grated Gruyere Cheese. Stir in the Parmesan until melted and set aside.

Toast the bread lightly on both sides and then brush half of the toasted slices with some of the Dijon mustard to cover. Place these on the baking sheet. Top each with a slice of ham and sprinkle with half of the remaining gruyere cheese. Place the remaining slices of toasted bread on top. Slather the cheese sauce over top of each generously. Sprinkle on the remaining Gruyere and bake for 5 minutes. Turn on the grill and grill for another 3 to 5 minutes until the tops are bubbly and lightly browned. Serve hot!

For an added twist, top with a fried egg before serving. Your Croque Monsieur now becomes a Croque Madame! Sinfully good….