Croque-Monsieur by Juan Arbelaez

Discover this delicious recipe of croque-monsieur propose by the chef Juan Arbelaez.

Born in Bogota, Colombia, Juan has always dreamed of moving to Paris.

Always an admirer of French cuisine, Juan took his courage in both hands, left his family and his hometown and arrived in Paris. At the age of 18, the ambitious young man joined the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu school as an assistant and graduated at the top of his class. It was with Pierre Gagnaire, a three-starred chef, that Juan began his career.

Juan will then integrate two Parisian palaces on the right bank: the George V with Éric Briffard and the Bristol with Éric Frechon.

Thanks to his numerous experiences, Juan wishes to write a career in his own name by advocating an accessible and sharing cuisine.

Ingredients

  • 5 slices of sandwich bread
  • 4 slices of white ham
  • 1 handful of grated Gruyère cheese
  • 50 g butter
  • 50 g flour
  • 50 cl milk
  • 150 g grated Gruyère cheese
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 4 turns of the pepper mill

Number of persons:2

Préparation : 35 min.

Cuisson : 10 min.

Temps total : 45 min.

Ustensils

  • 1 Baking sheet
  • 1 scale
  • 1 blender
  • 1 flat spatula
  • 1 rubber spatula

Knives used for this recipe

Etapes

1First step

Preheat the oven to 220° C.

2Second step

Toast the slices of bread.

3Third step

Prepare the Mornay sauce : Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. When it's frothy, add the flour and remove from heat. Whisk vigorously. Once the mixture is blended, cook for 2 or 3 minutes over medium heat. Add the milk and cook over low heat, whisking, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add cheese and whisk again until well blended. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool.

4Fourth step

Prepare the croque-monsieurs. On a slice of toasted bread, spread the Mornay sauce, then add 1 slice of ham. Repeat, alternating layers of bread, sauce and ham. For the last layer, finish with a little grated cheese and put the croque-monsieur on a baking sheet in the oven for 5 minutes. Take it out of the oven when the top is well browned.

5Enjoy right away!

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